AUCTIONS Whisky Connoisseur Whisky Connoisseur

FINEST & RAREST WINES & SPIRITS AUCTIONTO OFFER A VERY SPECIAL MACALLAN 1926 60-YEAR-OLD MALT IN A UNIQUE BOTTLE PAINTED BY MICHAEL DILLON&A RARE 1919 VINTAGE SPRINGBANK

Written by Ritenis Aksel

FINEST & RAREST WINES & SPIRITS AUCTION TO OFFER A VERY SPECIAL MACALLAN 1926 60-YEAR-OLD MALT (IN A UNIQUE BOTTLE PAINTED BY MICHAEL DILLON) & A RARE 1919 VINTAGE SPRINGBANK

 

London – On 28 and 29 November 2018, Christie’s Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits auction in London will be led by the most collectable single malt produced in the 20th century; The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old presented in a unique bottle painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon (estimate on request, illustrated right and top left on page two). The Macallan distillery located near the river Spey in North East Scotland was founded in 1824 and produces stunning examples of cask-matured single malts, particularly their highly prized and exceedingly rare single-cask, limited edition bottlings and Fine & Rare Collection. The Macallan 60-Year-Old 1926 takes this rarity to new heights for collectors of Macallan whisky and is the only bottle of this ultra-rare elixir to be hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon. Considered the ‘Holy Grail’ for collectors, it is poised to set a new world auction record for a bottle of whisky. Furthermore, the auction will feature a selection of The Macallan whiskies direct from the distillery, alongside a number of other fine and rare whiskies. This is the largest offering of spirits, with a focus on whisky, that has ever been offered in a London sale at Christie’s.

Tim Triptree MW, Christie’s International Director of Wine: “Over the past five
years we have seen sell-through rates for whisky offerings increase by over 20% and in recent years, along with the consistent interest from US and European collectors, clients from Asia have been highly active in the whisky market. The November auction will mark one of the strongest offerings of whiskies ever presented by Christie’s, including a rare 1919 vintage Springbank, and one of the oldest bottles of single malt scotch whisky we’ve ever offered, The Highland Park Reserve 1902. The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old will highlight the sale. The Macallan were unsure that this bottle still existed — it was last seen at Fortnum & Mason in London in 1999, and we look forward to presenting this unique bottle to our international collectors and to an exciting moment in whisky auction history.”

Peter Blake, the renowned artist responsible for the album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Valerio Adami were each asked to design a label for this special 1926 Macallan 60-Year-Old malt, and 12 individually numbered bottles from each artist were released after the whisky had spent 60 years maturing in ex-sherry casks prior to bottling in 1986. Less well- known was that one bottle from this rare cask was commissioned

and hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon and offered for sale at Fortnum & Mason in London in 1999. Christie’s is delighted to bring this unique bottle to market, presenting collectors with the opportunity to acquire a truly one-of-a-kind whisky from arguably the finest cask ever matured.

The sale will also present another example from this exceptional distillery, The Macallan Lalique 50-Year- Old (estimate: £60,000 – 80,000 per lot), the first Macallan to be released in a Lalique crystal bottle specially designed by the legendary French house. The 50-Year-Old was released in 2006 as an edition of only 470 bottles and today is the most collectable and rare of this singular series. The age statement on the whisky is fifty years of age, but many of the whiskies in the blend may be significantly older than that. As demand for this masterpiece has increased prices continue to rise.

About the author

Ritenis Aksel

Editor and Publisher of Connoisseur Magazine -Join the Team

Leave a Comment

Pin It on Pinterest

error: Content is protected !!