Often considered to be a paradigm of premium Scotch, The Macallan distillery has nearly 200 years of experience producing some of the finest single malt whisky in the world. Back in 2019, an auction record was broken when a refill sherry hogshead cask from the distillery sold for over half a million U.S. dollars. However, that record has now been shattered, again due to another cask by the Scottish spirits company.
The auction house Whisky Hammer just sold a 374-liter cask that’s been holding The Macallan Scotch since 1988. Selling for £1,007,050 (~$1,267,237) in total (£915,500 at the hammer), the aging cask had been forgotten about by its original owner until the distillery reminded them of its existence. It was originally bought by the owner 34 years ago for £5,000 (~$6,292). Maturing for over 30 years now, the batch of Scotch resting in a refill butt is said to be capable of filling 534 70cl bottles, averaging out to around £1,886 per bottle (~$2,374), another record.
The unofficial tasting profile of the whisky assumes salted caramel, chocolate, honey, and tobacco leaf on the nose, an oak- and leather-forward palate that gives way to an array of warm spices, and a fruit and honeycomb finish. More suitable for long maturation, a refill cask inherently allows for more character from the distillery to come out, which will make for an unbelievable experience when tasting this record-setting whisky.
While a 1991 cask from The Macallan sold for £1.69m (~$2,126,435) at auction last October, it was included with an exclusive NFT as well, thus making this most recent sale the clear record holder. Currently held in bond at The Macallan distillery, the cask was won by a bidder in the United States and must be picked up by June 10.
[H/T: BBC]
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