Dalmore to auction rare single malt whiskies

Whyte & Mackay has unveiled a series of six single malts from The Dalmore to be sold at auction, with each bottle representing a decade of the brand’s history.

The Highland single malt brand has revealed The Dalmore Decades No. 6 Collection, comprising six whiskies.

Master distiller Richard Paterson said: “The Dalmore Decades is a unique moment for us to celebrate our history and the key moments which have marked the last six decades.

“Each bottle tells a distinctive part of The Dalmore’s story: from the 1951, the last whisky created during the Mackenzie era, the family which owned the distillery for over a century and whose heritage allows us to display the 12-point royal stag on every bottle, through to the first Scotch whisky created in the new millennium.”

Paterson personally selected each whisky in the collection from the distillery’s ‘exceptionally rare casks’.

The first bottling of The Dalmore Decades series is 1951 – Royal Heritage, a 60-year-old single malt matured in twin Sherry casks, with notes of black treacle and ginger spice. It is one of the oldest whiskies to be released by The Dalmore.

Second in the range is 1967 – Expertly Composed Spirit. The 53-year-old single malt includes layers of clementine, coffee and muscovado sugar, and was matured in red wine casks.

1979 – Curating Exquisite Casks is a 40-year-old expression matured in oloroso Sherry butts, with a final maturation in a Graham’s Port Vintage 1952 cask – one of Port’s rarest vintages, according to the brand.

The 1980 expression, named Unbroken Chain of Visionaries, celebrates the decade Paterson arrived at The Dalmore, and features notes of chocolate, marzipan and cocoa powder.

The penultimate bottling of the series is the 1995 – The Creation of an Icon, matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Tintilla de Rota port pipes.

Finally, The Dalmore Decades 2000 – Into the New Millennium is described as the ‘most distinctive’ of the bunch, having spent 20 years in Matusalem oloroso Sherry butts.

“These collections are a true tribute to craftsmanship forged over the decades and offer a fantastic opportunity for collectors in search of a rare, never-to-be-seen-again piece of history,” Paterson said.

The No. 6 Collection will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2021.

A percentage of the money raised will go to the V&A Dundee, a design museum in Dundee, Scotland. The Dalmore agreed a four-year partnership with V&A Dundee as part of a long-term investment in the creative sector last year.

Meanwhile, 15 sets of the No. 5 Collection – comprising the 1967, 1979, 1980, 1995, and 2000 bottlings – will be available to purchase, selling for RRP £200,000 (US$277,785) each at Wally’s in the US, Harrods in the UK, and Le Bon Marché in France, as well as through travel retail channels in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

Twenty-five sets of the No. 4 Collection, featuring the 1979, 1980, 1995, and 2000 bottlings, will also be available in a limited edition offering. This series will be available to purchase from retailers in the UK and France for RRP £100,000 (US$138,892).