NEWS
WORLD’S OLDEST WHISKY THE MACALLAN 81YO IS AVAILABLE FOR BIDDING AT SOTHEBY’S
By Susan Lewis
30-9-2022
Source: Sotheby's
A decanter of the limited edition of The Macallan The Reach 81-Years-Old single malt, the oldest whisky ever released by The Macallan, is currently available for bidding on Sotheby’s website.
Offered directly by The Macallan Distillery and estimated at £110,000 to 200,000 (USD121,000 to 220,000), the decanter is being presented in a special single-lot sale, the highest bid at the time of publication is £130,000, which is 29.2 percent higher than the launch price in February this year.
The on-line bidding will close on 5 October at 2:01pm British summer time. Proceeds will go to The Macallan Artisan Apprenticeship Fund, enabling businesses to attract and recruit new apprentice.
On sale is decanter no.3/288 of The Macallan The Reach. The winning bidder will also have a bespoke small bronze sculpture created for them, and enjoy an exceptional distillery experience at The Macallan Estate, including a tasting of this extraordinarily rare 81YO single malt.
Source: Sotheby's
The Macallan The Reach 81YO is arguably the oldest whisky ever released by any distiller. A limited number of 288 decanters was released in February this year with a recommended sales price of £92,000, USD125,000 or €110,000 .
The launch broke the oldest whisky release record set by Gordon & Macphail which launched the Generations Glenlivet 80YO in September 2021.
The no.1 decanter of Generations Glenlivet 80YO set an auction record of £142,000 by Sotheby's in Hong Kong one month after launch.
The Macallan The Reach has been aged in a single sherry-seasoned oak cask and is presented in a crystal decanter on a bronze sculpture of three hands.
Each hand represents a character in Macallan’s history – one symbolising the distillery workers of 1940 when the country was at war, another of one-time chairman Allan Shiach whose grandfather was in charge when the spirit was consigned to its cask and the third of today’s master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell, who selected the 1940 cask.
Whisky maker’s notes of The Reach:
• Colour: Deep auburn
• ABV: 41.6%
• Nose: Dark chocolate, sweet cinnamon, aromatic peat, plums, leather, pink grapefruit, redcurrant jelly and a rich resinous note.
• Palate: Treacle toffee, bramble jam, liquorice, crystalised ginger, nutmeg, charred pineapple, pecans, woodsmoke.
• Finish: Intensely rich, sweet and smoky.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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