Thanks to an exquisitely designed and beautifully crafted crystal decanter, a rare 6-litre “Imperiale” version of The Macallan M single malt whiskey sold for US$628,000 at the Sotheby’s Finest and Rarest Wines auction in Hong Kong on January 18.
The price of the whiskey — the result of a collaboration between Fabien Baron, Founder and Creative Director of Baron & Baron, Silvio Denz, President and CEO of Lalique and Bob Dalgarno, Whisky Maker at The Macallan — is believed to have set a new world record for the most expensive whisky ever sold at auction. The most recent record setter was a bottle of The Macallan 64 years old in Lalique Cire Perdue, which fetched US$460,000, in 2010 in New York.
Named for Roman emperor Constantine, The Macallan M featured engraved autographs of Baron, Denz and Dalgarno, and featured a decanter that was one of four specially crafted by Lalique. Each decanter took 17 craftsmen, including two with the prestigious title, “Meilleur Ouvrier de France”, more than 50 hours to complete. Two of the four bottles will be archived by The Macallan, while a private collector in Asia has snapped up the last one.
“This new world record at US$628,000 highlights the uniqueness of the decanter and the remarkable quality of The Macallan single malt. Its creation is a tremendous achievement due to the unprecedented size, weight and completely new shape. This exceptional figure underscores the interest and value of such extraordinary decanters,” said Lalique’s Denz in a statement.
According to a statement by Sotheby’s, all net sale proceeds from The Macallan M will be donated to a host of local charities in Hong Kong.
