Whisky
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1970 Springbank 1919 50 year old
2019 SOLD for £ 266K including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2020 before the sale of another bottle by Whisky Auctioneer (see below)
In 1494 the king of Scotland authorized a monk to produce an aqua vitae, uisge beatha in Gaelic, according to a local malt-based recipe. Two decades later under English domination, the whisky distilleries went clandestine. Later, exorbitant taxes led to smuggling.
Away from all roads but well located opposite Ireland, Campbeltown became one of the most prosperous centers of this illicit Scottish business. In 1823 an act of Parliament brought a license to the distilleries. In 1828 Springbank, founded by the Mitchell brothers, became the 14th legal distillery in Campbeltown.
In 1920, the US prohibition put an end to the export of whiskies to this important market and to the import of bourbon casks, striking a fatal blow to almost all the Campbeltown distilleries, also penalized by the closure of a major local coal mine.
Around 1970 on the other side of the Highlands, Glenfiddich began promoting the drinking of single malt whisky. Previously the single malt was only an intermediate step before blending.
In Campbeltown, Springbank survived, remaining until today in the ownership of the descendants of the Mitchell brothers. The bottling in 1970 of a single malt distilled in December 1919 was an event, somehow as if a pre-phylloxera cask of French wine had surfaced.
The Springbank 1919 50 year old was edited in 24 serialized bottles. One of them was sold for £ 266K including premium by Sotheby's on October 24, 2019, lot 392. The bottle 12/24 was sold for £ 180K before fees by Whisky Auctioneer on February 17, 2020.
Away from all roads but well located opposite Ireland, Campbeltown became one of the most prosperous centers of this illicit Scottish business. In 1823 an act of Parliament brought a license to the distilleries. In 1828 Springbank, founded by the Mitchell brothers, became the 14th legal distillery in Campbeltown.
In 1920, the US prohibition put an end to the export of whiskies to this important market and to the import of bourbon casks, striking a fatal blow to almost all the Campbeltown distilleries, also penalized by the closure of a major local coal mine.
Around 1970 on the other side of the Highlands, Glenfiddich began promoting the drinking of single malt whisky. Previously the single malt was only an intermediate step before blending.
In Campbeltown, Springbank survived, remaining until today in the ownership of the descendants of the Mitchell brothers. The bottling in 1970 of a single malt distilled in December 1919 was an event, somehow as if a pre-phylloxera cask of French wine had surfaced.
The Springbank 1919 50 year old was edited in 24 serialized bottles. One of them was sold for £ 266K including premium by Sotheby's on October 24, 2019, lot 392. The bottle 12/24 was sold for £ 180K before fees by Whisky Auctioneer on February 17, 2020.
1986 The Macallan 1926-60 Fine and Rare
2019 SOLD for £ 1.45M including premium by Sotheby's
1986 Macallan with Adami and Blake
2018 SOLD for £ 1.2M including premium
The Macallan brand was once appreciated for its blends while some of their competitors led by Glenfiddish promoted the pure malt. In the early 1980s Macallan change their strategy for the high end. Pure malt preparations that have been distilling for several decades in their reserves then generated very small editions that are among the best whiskies in the world.
An operational from the brand observes that the 1926 Macallan bottled after 60 years in 1986 is one of the most powerful he has tested in his career. It is also the oldest in its category. 40 bottles of 75 cl grading 42.8% were prepared, including two series of prestige each numbered from one to twelve. The label of one of the series is an impression of a drawing by Valerio Adami, the other by Peter Blake.
These bottles are the most expensive in the world, on retail and at auction. On April 25, 2018 it was reported that an Adami and a Blake had just been sold at Dubai Airport for US $ 600K each. Bonhams was then preparing an auction of two similar bottles, estimated HK $ 3.6M each. On May 18 the Adami 2/12 was sold for HK $ 8.6M including premium and the Blake 8/12 for HK $ 8M including premium. Bonhams Magazine calculated that the price per glass exceeds US $ 40,000.
Other bottles are now surfacing with increased estimates taking into account the May 18 results. The Adami 5/12 is estimated over £ 700K for sale by Bonhams in Edinburgh on October 3, lot 86. The Blake 9/12 is estimated over $ 700K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on October 12, lot 1559. The high estimates are consistent with each other, respectively at £ 900K and $ 1.2M.
The two bottles that are coming for sale, like those of May 18, are integrated in their 'tantalus' safety cabinet. The Adami 5/12 is sold by its original owner. A very slight corrosion of the capsule is observed by Sotheby's for the Blake.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
LATER INFORMATION
Another bottle has surfaced, for sale by Christie's in London on November 29, lot 312. It does not belong to the Adami-Blake sub-series : the label of this one has been hand painted by artist Michael Dillon. It is illustrated in an article by Christie's.
RESULTS including premium :
Bonhams : SOLD for £ 850K
Sotheby's : SOLD for $ 840K
Christie's : SOLD for £ 1.2M
An operational from the brand observes that the 1926 Macallan bottled after 60 years in 1986 is one of the most powerful he has tested in his career. It is also the oldest in its category. 40 bottles of 75 cl grading 42.8% were prepared, including two series of prestige each numbered from one to twelve. The label of one of the series is an impression of a drawing by Valerio Adami, the other by Peter Blake.
These bottles are the most expensive in the world, on retail and at auction. On April 25, 2018 it was reported that an Adami and a Blake had just been sold at Dubai Airport for US $ 600K each. Bonhams was then preparing an auction of two similar bottles, estimated HK $ 3.6M each. On May 18 the Adami 2/12 was sold for HK $ 8.6M including premium and the Blake 8/12 for HK $ 8M including premium. Bonhams Magazine calculated that the price per glass exceeds US $ 40,000.
Other bottles are now surfacing with increased estimates taking into account the May 18 results. The Adami 5/12 is estimated over £ 700K for sale by Bonhams in Edinburgh on October 3, lot 86. The Blake 9/12 is estimated over $ 700K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on October 12, lot 1559. The high estimates are consistent with each other, respectively at £ 900K and $ 1.2M.
The two bottles that are coming for sale, like those of May 18, are integrated in their 'tantalus' safety cabinet. The Adami 5/12 is sold by its original owner. A very slight corrosion of the capsule is observed by Sotheby's for the Blake.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
LATER INFORMATION
Another bottle has surfaced, for sale by Christie's in London on November 29, lot 312. It does not belong to the Adami-Blake sub-series : the label of this one has been hand painted by artist Michael Dillon. It is illustrated in an article by Christie's.
RESULTS including premium :
Bonhams : SOLD for £ 850K
Sotheby's : SOLD for $ 840K
Christie's : SOLD for £ 1.2M
1986 Sixty Years in a Cask
2018 SOLD for HK$ 8.6M including premium
In 1986 Macallan bottled a single malt whisky that had been maturing for 60 years in its cask. The operation produced about 40 bottles of 75 cl, grading 42.8%.
Whiskies 60 years old or slightly more are the greatest prestige of Macallan, and that 1986 bottling had mostly been gifted to valued customers selected by the distiller. Peter Blake and Valerio Adami each designed one label to constitute two series of twelve. The rest of the bottles are not illustrated.
This 1926 whisky is particularly sought after because it appears to be the oldest Macallan remaining available on the second market. I found its taste in an old article on the web : "a lot of dried fruit, a lot of spicy, a lot of woody from the Spanish oak cherry cask and a toffee sweetness". The Macallan master distiller stated that "it is one of the most powerful tasting whiskies that he has ever tried".
On April 25, the specialized press announced that a Blake bottle and an Adami bottle were sold for $ 600K each in a private sale by a retailer to the same customer at Dubai Airport.
On May 18 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells two other bottles, each one in its safe 'tantalus' cabinet in brass and glass. They are estimated HK $ 3.6M each. Lot 381 has a label by Blake and lot 608by Adami. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
HK$ 8M with label by Peter Blake
HK$ 8.6M with label by Valerio Adami
Whiskies 60 years old or slightly more are the greatest prestige of Macallan, and that 1986 bottling had mostly been gifted to valued customers selected by the distiller. Peter Blake and Valerio Adami each designed one label to constitute two series of twelve. The rest of the bottles are not illustrated.
This 1926 whisky is particularly sought after because it appears to be the oldest Macallan remaining available on the second market. I found its taste in an old article on the web : "a lot of dried fruit, a lot of spicy, a lot of woody from the Spanish oak cherry cask and a toffee sweetness". The Macallan master distiller stated that "it is one of the most powerful tasting whiskies that he has ever tried".
On April 25, the specialized press announced that a Blake bottle and an Adami bottle were sold for $ 600K each in a private sale by a retailer to the same customer at Dubai Airport.
On May 18 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells two other bottles, each one in its safe 'tantalus' cabinet in brass and glass. They are estimated HK $ 3.6M each. Lot 381 has a label by Blake and lot 608by Adami. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
HK$ 8M with label by Peter Blake
HK$ 8.6M with label by Valerio Adami
1986 The Fine and Rare Collection
2021 SOLD for £ 1M before fees
The world's most prestigious whisky was distilled in 1926 from a Single Highland Malt by The Macallan in the Speyside region of Scotland. It then matured for 60 years in the sherry oak cask No. 263. In 1986 The Macallan emptied the cask into 40 bottles.
The first 24 bottles were used in two prestigious operations for the brand's best customers : in 1989 with a label designed by Peter Blake and in 1993 with a label designed by Valerio Adami. Each bottle is packaged in a brass and glass safe cabinet.
The other bottles are put in stock at the factory, without a safe cabinet. Two of them were auctioned unlabeled by McTear's, in 2001 and 2002. One of these two, now bearing an artist's painted label, was sold for £ 1.2M including premium by Christie's on November 29, 2018.
In 2002 The Macallan created the Fine and Rare collection, whose original catalog included 37 types. Collectors are invited to assemble verticals. In 2004 the remaining bottles of the 1926 60 year old were released with the Fine and Rare pedigree. Unlike the Blake and Adami series, they do not have a commercial serialization. A Fine and Rare 700 ml 42.6% was sold for £ 1.45M including premium by Sotheby's on October 24, 2019.
The Gooding collection, dispersed online in two sessions by Whisky Auctioneer, included two bottles produced from cask 263. The Adami 12/12 was sold for £ 825K before fees in February 2020. The Fine and Rare 750 ml 42.6 % will be sold at lot 224531 in the second session, ending on February 22. The January 22 release announces an estimate in excess of £ 1M.
The first 24 bottles were used in two prestigious operations for the brand's best customers : in 1989 with a label designed by Peter Blake and in 1993 with a label designed by Valerio Adami. Each bottle is packaged in a brass and glass safe cabinet.
The other bottles are put in stock at the factory, without a safe cabinet. Two of them were auctioned unlabeled by McTear's, in 2001 and 2002. One of these two, now bearing an artist's painted label, was sold for £ 1.2M including premium by Christie's on November 29, 2018.
In 2002 The Macallan created the Fine and Rare collection, whose original catalog included 37 types. Collectors are invited to assemble verticals. In 2004 the remaining bottles of the 1926 60 year old were released with the Fine and Rare pedigree. Unlike the Blake and Adami series, they do not have a commercial serialization. A Fine and Rare 700 ml 42.6% was sold for £ 1.45M including premium by Sotheby's on October 24, 2019.
The Gooding collection, dispersed online in two sessions by Whisky Auctioneer, included two bottles produced from cask 263. The Adami 12/12 was sold for £ 825K before fees in February 2020. The Fine and Rare 750 ml 42.6 % will be sold at lot 224531 in the second session, ending on February 22. The January 22 release announces an estimate in excess of £ 1M.
1986 Great Collections of Whiskies
2020 SOLD for £ 825K before fees
Three great collections of the rarest whiskies have recently surfaced. In October 2019 at Sotheby's, The Ultimate Whisky Collection fetched £ 7.6M including premium with 467 bottles divided into 394 lots. In the following month, a Vietnamese businessman had his collection of 535 bottles of Scotch and Japanese whisky certified by Guinness World Records.
The Gooding collection is The Perfect Collection, in quantity and quality. Gathering 3,900 bottles, it was revealed in December 2019 by Whisky Auctioneer, the company based in Perth in Scotland which is in charge of its dispersion. Online sales are organized in two sessions. The first part ends on February 17, the second on April 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house on Vimeo.
Richard Leonard Gooding made his fortune as the owner and CEO of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Denver, Colorado, founded by his grandfather in 1936, which he sold in 1988 to the parent company Pepsi Co. Renowned for his philanthropy and for his discretion, he was known to his neighbors for his exceptional collection of Leonard ties.
Gooding made numerous trips to Scotland and Ireland in search of the best bottles, at a time when tasting rooms were not yet fashionable. One day, by visiting the Macallan distillery, undisputed leader on this market, he was presented with the most prestigious bottles. The employee asked him which one he wanted to buy. He replied : "I want them all."
Any great collection must include the legendary Macallan 1926 60 year old, whose bottling in 1986 was limited to 40 bottles from a single cask.
This edition started with two sub-series of 12 bottles each with a label illustrated by Peter Blake for the first and by Valerio Adami for the second. Each sub-series is serialized from 1 to 12, and each of these 24 is packaged in the tantalus safety cabinet.
In 2003 the remaining bottles received the new standard label for the brand's Fine and Rare series, in which they represent the earliest distillation. In the meantime, at least two of them had been sold without a label.
The Ultimate Whisky Collection included a Fine and Rare, sold for £ 1.45M including premium. The Vietnamese collection has three bottles including a Fine and Rare.
Two Macallan 1926 60 year old occupy the top positions in the Gooding collection. The Adami 12/12 is in the first auction session, lot 224426. The Fine and Rare is awaited for the second session.
RESULTS :
Adami : SOLD for £ 825K before fees
Fine and Rare : postponed
The Gooding collection is The Perfect Collection, in quantity and quality. Gathering 3,900 bottles, it was revealed in December 2019 by Whisky Auctioneer, the company based in Perth in Scotland which is in charge of its dispersion. Online sales are organized in two sessions. The first part ends on February 17, the second on April 20. Please watch the video shared by the auction house on Vimeo.
Richard Leonard Gooding made his fortune as the owner and CEO of the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Denver, Colorado, founded by his grandfather in 1936, which he sold in 1988 to the parent company Pepsi Co. Renowned for his philanthropy and for his discretion, he was known to his neighbors for his exceptional collection of Leonard ties.
Gooding made numerous trips to Scotland and Ireland in search of the best bottles, at a time when tasting rooms were not yet fashionable. One day, by visiting the Macallan distillery, undisputed leader on this market, he was presented with the most prestigious bottles. The employee asked him which one he wanted to buy. He replied : "I want them all."
Any great collection must include the legendary Macallan 1926 60 year old, whose bottling in 1986 was limited to 40 bottles from a single cask.
This edition started with two sub-series of 12 bottles each with a label illustrated by Peter Blake for the first and by Valerio Adami for the second. Each sub-series is serialized from 1 to 12, and each of these 24 is packaged in the tantalus safety cabinet.
In 2003 the remaining bottles received the new standard label for the brand's Fine and Rare series, in which they represent the earliest distillation. In the meantime, at least two of them had been sold without a label.
The Ultimate Whisky Collection included a Fine and Rare, sold for £ 1.45M including premium. The Vietnamese collection has three bottles including a Fine and Rare.
Two Macallan 1926 60 year old occupy the top positions in the Gooding collection. The Adami 12/12 is in the first auction session, lot 224426. The Fine and Rare is awaited for the second session.
RESULTS :
Adami : SOLD for £ 825K before fees
Fine and Rare : postponed
1986 The Macallan Adami, Blake and Fine and Rare
See other results above.
1989 The Macallan Whisky Cask
2019 SOLD for HK$ 4.5M including premium by Bonhams
Link to catalogue.
2002 The Macallan Fine and Rare Miniature Collection
2019 SOLD for £ 340K including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
2005 Japanese Whisky
2018 SOLD for HK$ 2.7M including premium
The price at auction of the best whiskies is considerably rising. Their bottling in limited edition follows a maturation of several decades during which the evolution is monitored by highly skilled tasters.
Two 75 cl bottles of a 60 year old Macallan grading 42.8% from an edition of 40 were sold by Bonhams on May 18, 2018 for respectively HK $ 8.6M and 8M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 3.6M each.
Japanese whisky follows a similar evolution.
The Meiji era had opened Japan to the world. Shinjiro Torii began his career as an apprentice at a pharmacist in Osaka who was importing Western liquor. He decides to adapt the whisky to the Japanese taste. Water quality is the key to perfection. In 1923 he set up his production line at Yamazaki, a confluence of three rivers between Osaka and Kyoto where source water has a reputation for exceptional purity.
Torii's choice was excellent. The single malt whisky produced by this factory belonging to the Suntory group has become one of the best in the world, mixing a subtle taste with a high alcohol content.
Suntory-Yamazaki released three editions of whiskies in 70 cl bottles after 50 years of maturation in mizunara oak casks : 50 bottles in 2005, 50 in 2007 and 150 in 2011.
A copy of the first edition became on October 2, 2016 at Poly Auctions the very first bottle of whisky, all origins considered, to cross at auction the threshold of one million HK $. On January 27, 2018 a bottle from the third edition grading 57 % was sold for HK $ 2.34M including premium by Sotheby's over a lower estimate of HK $ 700K.
On August 17 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells a 50 year old Suntory-Yamazaki whisky from the 2005 edition, grading 54%. It is estimated HK $ 1.8M, lot 203.
Two 75 cl bottles of a 60 year old Macallan grading 42.8% from an edition of 40 were sold by Bonhams on May 18, 2018 for respectively HK $ 8.6M and 8M including premium over a lower estimate of HK $ 3.6M each.
Japanese whisky follows a similar evolution.
The Meiji era had opened Japan to the world. Shinjiro Torii began his career as an apprentice at a pharmacist in Osaka who was importing Western liquor. He decides to adapt the whisky to the Japanese taste. Water quality is the key to perfection. In 1923 he set up his production line at Yamazaki, a confluence of three rivers between Osaka and Kyoto where source water has a reputation for exceptional purity.
Torii's choice was excellent. The single malt whisky produced by this factory belonging to the Suntory group has become one of the best in the world, mixing a subtle taste with a high alcohol content.
Suntory-Yamazaki released three editions of whiskies in 70 cl bottles after 50 years of maturation in mizunara oak casks : 50 bottles in 2005, 50 in 2007 and 150 in 2011.
A copy of the first edition became on October 2, 2016 at Poly Auctions the very first bottle of whisky, all origins considered, to cross at auction the threshold of one million HK $. On January 27, 2018 a bottle from the third edition grading 57 % was sold for HK $ 2.34M including premium by Sotheby's over a lower estimate of HK $ 700K.
On August 17 in Hong Kong, Bonhams sells a 50 year old Suntory-Yamazaki whisky from the 2005 edition, grading 54%. It is estimated HK $ 1.8M, lot 203.
2006-2014 Last Drops from Hanyu
2019 SOLD for HK$ 7.2M including premium
Isouji Akuto created one of the best brands of Japanese whisky in Hanyu in 1941. This small operation was not profitable and the distillery closed in 2000. Ichiro Akuto, the grandson of the founder, is a great whisky lover. He buys the remaining casks and selects the best products which he will trade under the designation of Ichiro's Malt Distilled at Hanyu's Distillery.
Each cask provides another flavor. Ichiro identifies them with a playing card. The bottle labels provide a full traceability : years of distillation and bottling, alcohol volume, cask number, serialization including the total quantity of the card.
Four cards were released in 2005 in about 120 bottles for each one. A very rare ace of spades of this first edition, bottle number 5 of 122, was sold for HK $ 85K including premium by Bonhams on August 15, 2014.
Success exceeds all expectations. Drinkers appreciate the variety of flavors and collectors demand a full pack. The four original cards are reissued in 2006 after one additional year of maturation in the same cask. The 52 cards are available in 2011, followed in 2014 by two jokers including one final blend.
The dates of distillation are ranging from 1985 to 2000, the volume between 46 and 61%, and the production of each card between 200 and 650 bottles except the ultimate blended joker increased to 3,690 bottles.
A full set of 54 bottles with the original four in their second edition of 2006 was sold by Bonhams in Hong Kong for HK $ 3.8M including premium on August 28, 2015. Another set identically constituted is estimated HK $ 4.5M for sale in the same auction venue on August 16, lot 323.
The Hanyu whisky was designed for drinking, not for collecting, and complete packs become extremely rare and very difficult to assemble from scratch. This comment supports the raising price anticipated by the auction house.
Each cask provides another flavor. Ichiro identifies them with a playing card. The bottle labels provide a full traceability : years of distillation and bottling, alcohol volume, cask number, serialization including the total quantity of the card.
Four cards were released in 2005 in about 120 bottles for each one. A very rare ace of spades of this first edition, bottle number 5 of 122, was sold for HK $ 85K including premium by Bonhams on August 15, 2014.
Success exceeds all expectations. Drinkers appreciate the variety of flavors and collectors demand a full pack. The four original cards are reissued in 2006 after one additional year of maturation in the same cask. The 52 cards are available in 2011, followed in 2014 by two jokers including one final blend.
The dates of distillation are ranging from 1985 to 2000, the volume between 46 and 61%, and the production of each card between 200 and 650 bottles except the ultimate blended joker increased to 3,690 bottles.
A full set of 54 bottles with the original four in their second edition of 2006 was sold by Bonhams in Hong Kong for HK $ 3.8M including premium on August 28, 2015. Another set identically constituted is estimated HK $ 4.5M for sale in the same auction venue on August 16, lot 323.
The Hanyu whisky was designed for drinking, not for collecting, and complete packs become extremely rare and very difficult to assemble from scratch. This comment supports the raising price anticipated by the auction house.
2006-2014 The Card Series of Japanese Whisky
2015 SOLD for HK$ 3.8M including premium
The first Japanese distillery of whisky was established in 1924. While imitating the Scottish techniques and giving the due importance to the purity of water, this industry looked for the local market.
The Japanese whiskies have an undeniable originality facilitated by the fact that the companies never trade their malts and grains. Whisky has gradually replaced the sake. The consecration came from 2000 when the Japanese brands began to win international blind tasting competitions.
Isouji Akuto is one of these pioneers, from a centuries-old family of sake distillers. In 1941, he starts a production of whisky in Hanyu. The plant ceases the distillations in 2000. When it was dismantled in 2005, the grandson of the founder, Ichiro Akuto, set aside the best casks from which he made the bottling from the following year.
This Hanyu Ichiro single malt whisky is of excellent quality and its labels make it a collectible : they are illustrated with the 54 elements of a card series including two jokers added in 2014 to close the set. Each of the values excepted the ultimate joker is edited in 200 to 650 bottles indicating the cask number and the distillation year from 1985 to 2000.
Very few amateurs attempted to build a complete collection. A full set is estimated HK $ 1.8M for sale by Bonhams in Hong Kong August 28, lot 196.
A collection of the four aces was sold for HK $ 196K including premium by Bonhams on February 6, 2015. An ace of spades was sold for HK $ 85K including premium by Bonhams on August 15, 2014.
The Japanese whiskies have an undeniable originality facilitated by the fact that the companies never trade their malts and grains. Whisky has gradually replaced the sake. The consecration came from 2000 when the Japanese brands began to win international blind tasting competitions.
Isouji Akuto is one of these pioneers, from a centuries-old family of sake distillers. In 1941, he starts a production of whisky in Hanyu. The plant ceases the distillations in 2000. When it was dismantled in 2005, the grandson of the founder, Ichiro Akuto, set aside the best casks from which he made the bottling from the following year.
This Hanyu Ichiro single malt whisky is of excellent quality and its labels make it a collectible : they are illustrated with the 54 elements of a card series including two jokers added in 2014 to close the set. Each of the values excepted the ultimate joker is edited in 200 to 650 bottles indicating the cask number and the distillation year from 1985 to 2000.
Very few amateurs attempted to build a complete collection. A full set is estimated HK $ 1.8M for sale by Bonhams in Hong Kong August 28, lot 196.
A collection of the four aces was sold for HK $ 196K including premium by Bonhams on February 6, 2015. An ace of spades was sold for HK $ 85K including premium by Bonhams on August 15, 2014.
Bowmore 1957 54 year old
2019 SOLD for £ 360K including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
2013 The Six Pillars of The Macallan
2017 SOLD for HK$ 7.7M including premium
Established in 1824, The Macallan distillery deserves and maintains its reputation for producing single malt whiskies among the best in the world. The company explains through didactic mottoes the six root causes for its pre-eminence constituting the Six Pillars of The Macallan : Exceptional Oak Cask, Natural Colour, Finest Cut, Curiously Small Stills, Spiritual Home, Peerless Spirit.
Around 2013 The Macallan edited its Six Pillars series : six references of whiskies, each one identified by one of the mottoes, in Lalique 70 cl bottles specially designed for each reference. These whiskies are among the oldest ever offered by the brand in terms of the age of maturation : 50 to 65 years.
On April 2 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a complete series of the Six Pillars that had been kept by The Macallan. It is accompanied by 12 Lalique Macallan glasses and by six 5 cl mignonnettes containing even older whiskies : 1937 to 1939. The whole is offered in a bespoke ebony cabinet made by Lalique.
This set is estimated HK $ 2M, lot 7370. The proceeds from the sale will be partially donated to charities.
This is of course not the first joint operation between The Macallan, Sotheby's and charities. In November 2010 in New York, Sotheby's sold for $ 460K a 64-year-old single malt whisky in a Lalique decanter. An Imperial (6 liters) of The Macallan M, an exceptional and rare blend of varied antiquity from seven casks, was sold for US $ 630K by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in January 2014.
The short video announcing the Six Pillars of the next sale is integrated in the tweet.
Around 2013 The Macallan edited its Six Pillars series : six references of whiskies, each one identified by one of the mottoes, in Lalique 70 cl bottles specially designed for each reference. These whiskies are among the oldest ever offered by the brand in terms of the age of maturation : 50 to 65 years.
On April 2 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells a complete series of the Six Pillars that had been kept by The Macallan. It is accompanied by 12 Lalique Macallan glasses and by six 5 cl mignonnettes containing even older whiskies : 1937 to 1939. The whole is offered in a bespoke ebony cabinet made by Lalique.
This set is estimated HK $ 2M, lot 7370. The proceeds from the sale will be partially donated to charities.
This is of course not the first joint operation between The Macallan, Sotheby's and charities. In November 2010 in New York, Sotheby's sold for $ 460K a 64-year-old single malt whisky in a Lalique decanter. An Imperial (6 liters) of The Macallan M, an exceptional and rare blend of varied antiquity from seven casks, was sold for US $ 630K by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in January 2014.
The short video announcing the Six Pillars of the next sale is integrated in the tweet.
Six Pillars of The Macallan in Lalique
2019 two lots SOLD by Sotheby's
2013 Under the Volcano
2020 SOLD for £ 360K including premium
The Karuizawa distillery produced one of the best whiskies in the world thanks to a favorable geographical position in the center of the main island of Japan and to a judicious choice of components. The climate is humid continental, with hot, rainy summers and cold winters. The water is filtered by the lava from Mount Asama which is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan.
Karuizawa produced only single malt whiskies. The barley was preferably Spanish and the malting was Scottish, and the brand used former barrels of sherry like The Macallan was doing.
The distillery was in operation from 1955 to 2000. After its closure, the barrels in the distillation phase changed hands twice.
The oldest remaining distillation was in the cask # 5627, filled in February 1960, which provided 41 bottles of 70 cl grading 51.8% in 2013 at 52 year old. Dark amber in color, it has a rich forest-dominant odor and a fruity and vibrant taste. The bottles are not numbered but most of them are individualized by a netsuke hanging under the neck.
A bottle was sold by Ravenel on November 30, 2018 for Tw $ 10.6M including premium, worth HK $ 2.7M or US $ 340K. The netsuke shows a group of travelers in a masted round boat. The Dragon was sold for HK $ 2.45M including premium by Bonhams on May 18, 2018.
On March 18 in London, Sotheby's sells the bottle with the Rat of the Zodiac, lot 87 estimated £ 160K.
At 850 m above sea level, Karuizawa had been the highest distillery in Japan. 150 m above, the village of the same name achieved notoriety for another reason : it is the only place in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, in 1964 for equestrian events and in 1998 for curling.
Karuizawa produced only single malt whiskies. The barley was preferably Spanish and the malting was Scottish, and the brand used former barrels of sherry like The Macallan was doing.
The distillery was in operation from 1955 to 2000. After its closure, the barrels in the distillation phase changed hands twice.
The oldest remaining distillation was in the cask # 5627, filled in February 1960, which provided 41 bottles of 70 cl grading 51.8% in 2013 at 52 year old. Dark amber in color, it has a rich forest-dominant odor and a fruity and vibrant taste. The bottles are not numbered but most of them are individualized by a netsuke hanging under the neck.
A bottle was sold by Ravenel on November 30, 2018 for Tw $ 10.6M including premium, worth HK $ 2.7M or US $ 340K. The netsuke shows a group of travelers in a masted round boat. The Dragon was sold for HK $ 2.45M including premium by Bonhams on May 18, 2018.
On March 18 in London, Sotheby's sells the bottle with the Rat of the Zodiac, lot 87 estimated £ 160K.
At 850 m above sea level, Karuizawa had been the highest distillery in Japan. 150 m above, the village of the same name achieved notoriety for another reason : it is the only place in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, in 1964 for equestrian events and in 1998 for curling.
2020 The Macallan Red Collection
2020 SOLD for £ 760K including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
2020 Yamazaki 55 Year Old
2020 SOLD for HK$ 6.2M including premium by Bonhams
Link to catalogue.
