James Bond-signed Macallan 1962 up for auction

Edrington is auctioning a bottle of The Macallan 1962, signed by James Bond actor Daniel Craig, for charity, in celebration of 50 years of the Bond franchise.

The Macallan 1962 ‘James Bond edition’ will auction on 17 April

It was 1962 when Bond first appeared on our screens in the guise of Sean Connery in Dr. No, alongside Ursula Andress. Now, 50 years and 23 official films later, Skyfall has become the highest grossing Bond film ever, a film The Macallan 1962 played a part in.

To mark the occasion, a bottle of The Macallan 1962, signed by Craig, Bond villain Javier Bardem and Bond girl Berenice Marlohe, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s Finest & Rarest Wine sale in London on 17 April.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Government Communications Fund (GC Fund), which supports former and serving members of GCHQ facing hardship and was one of the charities that benefitted from the Skyfall world premiere in October 2012.

“Following on from The Macallan’s appearance in Skyfall, we are delighted to further our association of the Bond franchise with this charity auction,” said Ken Grier, director of malts for Edrington. “We are hopeful that the combination of the Bond link with the auction appeal of vintage Macallan will give us a real result. The GC Fund is a very fitting recipient of the monies raised.”

It’s unknown what the signed bottle of The Macallan 1962 will auction for, but if the US$460,000 raised from the auction of The Macallan in Lalique 64-year-old: Cire Perdue in 2010 is anything to go by – holder of the Guinness World Record of the most expensive whisky sold at auction –  the amount raised should be a hefty sum.

“The Macallan is a first growth malt, the tops, with all that this means in terms of excellence and excitement,” commented Serena Sutcliffe MW, Sotheby’s international head of wine.