In what's thought to be the priciest miniature bottle of whisky sold to date, the Macallan 62 Year Old Lalique Six Pillars Collection No.5 fetched £12,500 at auction last month.
Hosted by Perth-based Whisky Auctioneer, the rare miniature got 27 bids and the reserve was met.
A previous record for most expensive miniature sold was held by a single 5cl miniature of Old Orkney ‘0.0.’ Real Liqueur Whisky from the long closed Stromness Distillery, which featured in an online sale in 2019 and sold for £4,000.
Stromness Distillery was located on the south-western part of mainland Orkney and operated between 1817 and 1928. When whisky historian Alfred Barnard visited in the 1880s, he remarked that it was "the most remote distillery in the Kingdom" producing "Highland Malt", and the output was just 7000 gallons per year (at the time, neighbouring Highland Park produced 50,000 gallons per year).
The whisky was sold as "Man O' Hoy", after one of the island's landmarks, and was renamed 'Old Orkney' when the distillery was reopened in 1878 by the MacPherson brothers. In the early 1900s, Stromness was acquired by J & J McConnell Ltd. (McConnell's Distillery Limited) who operated the distillery until its closure in 1928.
Macallan whisky has been making headlines for its value for the past few years, with the Whisky Auctioneer recently selling a bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare 60 Year Old for £1million earlier this year.
The listing for this 62 Year Old Lalique Six Pillars Collection No.5 miniature explained its rare status, saying: "Released in 2014, this liquid is from the fifth decanter in a highly limited, exclusive Macallan collaboration with crystal makers, Lalique.
"The series is called The Six Pillars collection, and saw 6 decanters released over an eleven year period, each celebrating one of the six facets that Macallan believe set them apart from Scotland's other distilleries. The Macallan Six Pillars are: Exceptional Oak Casks, Spiritual Home, Curiously Small Stills, Finest Cut, Natural Colour and Peerless Spirit."
Only 400 decanters of this rare Macallan were ever produced, with the whisky being housed in American oak casks seasoned with sherry, which were filled in November 1950.
The listing continued: "Only 400 decanters of this whisky were produced, with the liquid being houses in American oak casks that were seasoned with sherry and filled in November 1950.
"This exclusive miniature was bottled for The Ultimate Dinner, a collaboration between Macallan and the El Celler de Can Roca. Held over six dates in June and July 2014, The Ultimate Dinner was a series of charity events, co-hosted by Macallan and the famous restaurant in Girona.
"It saw the Roca brothers, Joan, Josep and Jordi, create a menu designed to complement the sensory experience of drinking Macallan single malt. Tickets for guests cost $10,000 each, and each specially designed dish was accompanied by a rare and in some cases, exclusive Macallan expressions."
