AN Australian diver who found a 150 year old bottle of Scottish beer in Australia has admitted he opened the priceless bottle when he found it.

The artefact now forms the centrepiece of Tennent's one million pound visitor centre and the stout which predates Tennents lager is in a glass case.

Jim Anderson the founder of the now infamous bottle from the Light Of The Age shipwreck, admitted he even smelled it but stopped before he tasted the concoction.

He revealed: “When I got it, I removed the cork which you’ve got to because the corks shrink when they’ve been exposed to the air after the bottle has been in the sea.

“So I took the cork out and smelled it and thought phew yuk that’s awful. So I put a fresh cork in, resealed it and just put it under the house.”

Jim and his wife were flown to Glasgow by Tennent's for the launch of their new visitors centre at Wellpark.

He said of his find: “I found it forty years ago while scuba diving in a shipwreck. It’s been under the house just sitting there and gathering dust. Fortunately I photographed it when I found it forty years ago. I didn’t know where Wellpark was so I looked it up and contacted the brewery.

He added: “We had to get clearance from the Australian government for to be sent out of the country on a permanent basis. It took probably three months paperwork to get it cleared to leave the country.

“I have found other bottles when diving but not too many full ones. They are empty or smashed.”