Macallan Millennium Decanter to lead Bonhams auction

A 50-year-old Macallan Millennium Decanter will lead a Bonham’s whisky auction in Edinburgh next month, where it is expected to fetch between £23,000 and £25,000 (US$29,600 and US$32,200).

The Macallan Millennium Decanter 50-year-old was distilled in January 1949

The Macallan Millennium Decanter 50-year-old was distilled in January 1949 and was one of 900 decanters released. It comes in a classic Caithness glass decanter and is presented in a wooden case.

In addition to The Macallan decanter, a bottle of Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Queen of Hearts Japanese whisky from the Full Card Series will also go on sale.

Distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2006, this bottle is number 44 of a limited edition run of 324. It is expected to fetch between £10,000 and £12,000 (US$12,800-US$15,400).

Bonhams Hong Kong set a new world auction record for a Japanese whisky collection after Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series sold for HK$7.19 million (US$917,000) in August 2019.

A bottle of Black Bowmore 1964 from the Final Edition will also go under the hammer and could sell for up to £16,000 (US$20,600), along with a Macallan Pure Highland Malt estimated to sell for between £10,000 to £15,000 (US$12,800-US$19,300).The Bonhams Christmas Whisky Sale will be held on Wednesday 10 December.

Bonhams whisky specialist in Edinburgh, Martin Green, said: “As usual our Christmas sale is the most varied of the year and it’s packed full of good things with something for everyone.

“The highlights, though, have to be the Macallan Millennium Decanter 50-year-old 1949 that is always much in demand, and the Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Queen of Hearts, which is very rarely seen at auction.”

The Bonhams Christmas Whisky Sale will be held on Wednesday 10 December.

Last month, a bottle of Macallan 1926 60-year-old Scotch whisky set a new world record after fetching £1.5m (US$1.9m) at auction.