Sotheby’s sale to include oldest Macallan bottling

Auctioneer Sotheby’s is gearing up to sell the second part of The Ultimate Whisky Collection and a new Macallan range comprising of six single malts aged over 40 years.

The Ultimate Whisky Collection Part II will include 20 bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare range

The first part of The Ultimate Whisky Collection fetched £7.6 million/US$9.8m in total when the auction, comprised of 391 lots, concluded in October 2019. During the sale, a bottle of Macallan 1926 60-year-old Scotch whisky set a new world record after fetching £1.5m (US$1.9m). The sale was Sotheby’s first spirits offering from a single owner.

On 31 October 2020, Sotheby’s will offer The Ultimate Whisky Collection Part II as part of a larger sale. This year’s offering will present 190 lots of Scotch, Japanese and Irish whiskies, estimated to sell for £800,000 (US$1m) in total.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s spirits specialist, said: “After launching Sotheby’s spirits business last year, this segment of the wine and spirits market has seen the fastest growth, not least during these past six months, with three new world auction record prices, and an increase in buying and bidding from both new and young collectors.

“The appreciation for whisky is incredibly diverse and our younger collectors are showing a keen interest in understanding the nuances of age, rarity and provenance, whether acquiring bottles for current drinking, special occasions, or to treasure for the future.

“This season, we are thrilled to present the first of our annual spirits sales to take place on Halloween, not least with the second part of the Ultimate Whisky Collection and an opportunity for collectors to get their hands on a complete set of The Macallan’s new collection, so soon after its official launch.

“Our sale of part one a year ago – our first-ever single-owner spirits auction – marked a historic moment for the spirits market, with new benchmark prices and a fresh approach to selling whisky.

“This year’s offering, though lower in value, is testament to the quality of the collection in its depth and breadth. With The Macallan continuing to take the dominant pole position in our spirits sales, it is a real pleasure for us to open the auction with one of the most exciting launches in the world of collectible whisky in recent years.”

Macallan partnership

Sotheby’s has collaborated with The Macallan to mark the launch of a new collection of single malts from the Speyside distillery. The sale will kick off with a complete set of six whiskies aged from 40 years old to the oldest expression ever released by the brand. Full details of the series will be revealed on 15 October to coincide with The Macallan’s official launch.

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the City Harvest charity, which redistributes surplus from the food industry to vulnerable people internationally.

In total, the auction will include 63 Macallan lots that are estimated to sell for £501,000 (US$649,000).

Highlights from the sale include four bottles from The Macallan in Lalique 6 Pillars Collection (estimate: £215,000 (US$278,575), The Macallan 50 Year Old 1928 (estimate: £30,000-£45,000/US$38,810-58,215), and 20 bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare collection (estimate: £153,400/US$198,500).

The auction will also offer 21 Bowmore lots, including the full Bowmore Trilogy series (estimate: £36,500/US$47,230), Bowmore 50 Year Old Last Cask 1964 (estimate: £32,000-£38,000/US$41,400-US$49,000), Bowmore 52 Year Old 1965 (estimate: £24,000-£30,000/US$31,000-US$38,810) and Bowmore Samaroli Bouquet 1966 (estimate: £20,000-£30,000).

Other highlights include: Glenlivet Gordon & Macphail Generations 70 Year Old 1940 (estimate: £14,000-£19,000/US$18,000-US$24,500), The Balvenie 50 Year Old 1963 (estimate: £13,000-19,000), and Laphroaig Samaroli 1970 (estimate: £9,000-13,000).