The real price of whisky

HONG KONG - The rare 6 litre “Imperiale” version of the highly sought-after Macallan M ‐ the world’s most sophisticated single malt whisky contained within a beautifully designed and meticulously crafted crystal decanter - achieved a New World Record price at US$628,000 (S$801,287.18) at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong yesterday (Jan 18).

The sale also breaks the current Guinness World Record for the most expensive whisky ever sold at an auction: The Macallan 64-year-old in LALIQUE Cire Perdue fetched US$460,000 in 2010. All net sale proceeds will be donated to a host of charities in Hong Kong.

The decanter was created to celebrate the conception of M at its global launch in Hong Kong. Four 6‐litre Imperiale decanters were specially crafted by LALIQUE - the largest decanters ever made by the company - for The Macallan. Of the four, two are archived by The Macallan and one was committed to a private collector in Asia. The fourth, called Constantine and featuring the engraved autographs of the three principal creators – LALIQUE/Silvio Denz, Fabien Baron and Bob Dalgarno - was made available as part of the Finest and Rarest Wines at The Macallan auction by Sotheby’s.

LALIQUE’s Denz said the record-breaking price highlighted “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 David Cox of The Macallan: “We are absolutely delighted at the generosity of the successful bidder of the M decanter Constantine in securing such a wonderful contribution to a number of Hong Kong charities and at the same time setting a new world record for The Macallan. It is testimony to the craft, quality and passion underpinning the creation of this great decanter. It is a very proud moment for us.”