The Highest Value Whisky Collection Ever Offered in a Single Auction in the US:
Sotheby’s to Offer The Timeless Whisky Collection
Featuring 30 Bottles Exceeding 50 Years of Age and Over 50 Magnums,
Led by The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection (est. $400,000-580,000)
NEW YORK, 8 SEPTEMBER 2022 – Amid the surge in demand for collectible whisky, Sotheby’s will offer The Timeless Whisky Collection – the highest value whisky collection ever to be presented in a standalone auction in the US. Comprising 497 lots, and with a pre-sale estimate of $1.6 to 2.1 million, the collection will be offered by Sotheby’s in New York on 23 September, with advance bidding open from Friday, 9 September.
Built over years by a dedicated collector in California, The Timeless Whisky Collection boasts thirty bottles that exceed 50 Years of age and a staggering fifty-three magnums, led by The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection (est. $400,000-580,000), which comes with a bespoke display platform and an exclusive experience offered directly from Lalique. Together with The Macallan, the collection is also represented by Bowmore, Highland Park, Glen Grant, Tamdhu, Glenfarclas, Fettercairn, Glen Mhor, Glenglassaugh, Loch Lomond, Linkwood and The Glenlivet.
Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Head of Whisky & Spirits, North America and EMEA, said: “The Timeless Whisky Collection showcases everything that collectors look for in whisky, from high value, highly aged bottles, to limited outturn and large format independent bottlings. When we first started working on this collection, we were stunned by its scale and value, so we knew we would have to do something special in bringing it to auction. This is why we chose to commission the exquisite burr oak display platform for The Macallan Six Pillars Collection and worked directly with Lalique to offer an experience. The appearance of a collection of this magnitude sets yet another benchmark in the whisky auction market.”
The collector himself welcomed Sotheby’s Whisky team to his house in Los Angeles to perform an inspection. While wishing to remain anonymous, he said: “Whisky has been a passion of mine for many years. While I collect many things, cars, watches and art included, whisky has always been something that has held my attention. I will be sad to part with this collection, but it felt like the time was right for it to find a new home. I have still held back some of my favorite bottles to enjoy over the next few years.”
A recent wave of highly aged whiskies at auction have commanded exceptional prices, as age in the world of whisky collecting has become synonymous with rarity, due to the fact that not many barrels in bonded warehouses in Scotland make it to the age of 50 due to the rate of alcohol evaporation.
Jonny Fowle explains: “Behind age statement is the vintage of a whisky, and, unlike rare wines, vintage is not always declared in whisky as it would require every element of the whisky that goes into the bottle to be from the same year of distillation. The Scotch Whisky industry’s tendency to vat whiskies from different barrels together to achieve their final assemblage means that often whiskies are built using casks from multiple vintages. This collection showcases a huge number of whiskies that proudly bear a single vintage statement.”
The sale of The Timeless Whisky Collection follows Sotheby’s offering of The Three Continents Collection of Scotch, Japanese and American whiskies. Presented across five separate auctions due to its scale, The Three Continents Collection became the second most valuable single owner collection of whisky ever sold by Sotheby’s – second only to The Ultimate Whisky Collection, which still stands as the most valuable whisky collection of all time at auction.*
The Macallan Six Pillars Collection with Bespoke Display Platform and Experience
Est. $400,000-580,000
The result of a unique collaboration between The Macallan distillery and renowned French crystal maker Lalique, The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection was released over a decade, between 2005 and 2016. An exclusive series of limited-edition decanters, each release represents the marriage and mastery of spirit distilling and artistic crystal craftsmanship. The collection celebrates the foundation stones upon which the distinctive character of The Macallan and the distillery’s creation of its rich spirit are built, including Exceptional Oak Casks and Curiously Small Stills. Every decanter encases some of the rarest and oldest Macallan single malt whiskies in the world, ranging between fifty and sixty-five years old.
For this auction and to celebrate the significance of The Timeless Whisky Collection, Sotheby’s commissioned a bespoke display platform made of Burr Elm by Anselm Fraser Design. The wood itself is from a Scottish Elm tree which fell at the beginning of the 1980s and had been used as the bar top in a private residence in Scotland for the last two decades, before being reclaimed and re-designed for this collection. The lot is also supported by Lalique, with an offer of a unique experience to the winning bidder and their guest to stay at Villa Rene Lalique in Alsace and dine at their two Michelin Star restaurant.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
The Macallan 72 Year Old in Lalique, Genesis Decanter 42.0 abv NV (1 BT75), est. $70,000-90,000
Bowmore Black The Last Cask 50 Year Old 41.0 abv 1964 (1 BT70), est. $38,000-55,000
Bowmore 50 Year Old 40.7abv 1961 (1 BT70), est. $32,000-50,000
The Macallan Millennium Decanter 50 Year Old 43.0 abv 1949 (1 BT75), est. $30,000-40,000
The Macallan Fine & Rare 31 Year Old 43.0 abv 1938 (1 BT75), est. $26,000-35,000
Glenlivet Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 49.1 abv 1943 (1 BT70), est. $26,000-35,000
Ardbeg Double Barrel 1974 (2 BT75), est. $22,000-30,000
The Macallan 40 Year Old 2017 Release 44.0 abv NV (1 BT75), est. $20,000-30,000
Highland Park 50 Year Old 44.8 abv NV (1 BT70), est. $19,000-26,000
Bowmore Gold Fine Oak Cask 44 Year Old 42.4 abv 1964 (1 BT75), est. $14,000-19,000
Glenfarclas 60 Year Old 40.9 abv 1959 (1 BT70), est. $12,000-17,000
Linkwood Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 60 Year Old 49.4 abv 1956 (1 BT70), est. $11,000-14,000
Tamdhu 50 Year Old 55.6 abv 1963 (2 BT70), est. $11,000-14,000
Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl 40.0 abv NV (1 BT75), est. $11,000-16,000
The Balvenie 43 Year Old 46.6 abv 1973 (1 BT75), $10,000-15,000
Glen Grant 50 Year Old 54.4 abv 1963 (1 BT70), est. $10,000-12,000
Gordon & MacPhail Speyside Collection 1948-1972 NV (6 BT70), est. $10,000-14,000
Longmorn Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 40.8 abv 1961 (1 BT70), est. $10,000-15,000
Longmorn Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection 45.0 abv 1961 (1 BT70), est. $10,000-15,000
Loch Lomond 50 Year Old 46.2 abv 1967 (1 BT70), est. $10,000-12,000
Bowmore Black Second Release 50.0 abv 1964 (1 BT70), est. $8,000-12,000
Notes
For The Timeless Whisky Collection, Sotheby’s worked closely with consultant Mark Littler to bring these whiskies to auction.
Sotheby’s has offered four significant single owner collections of whisky which have been sourced in America, the most notable of which was The Ultimate Whisky Collection, which went on to set the record for the most valuable collection of all time when sold in London in 2019.
The Ultimate Whisky Collection Parts I and II (October 2019 and October 2020) brought a combined total of £8.7 million ($11.2 million) – the most valuable whisky collection ever sold at auction.
The Three Continents Collection was sold over five auctions at Sotheby’s, beginning in December 2021. Comprising 1,455 lots (2,516 bottles), the collection was 97% sold by lot, with the $4.8 million total doubling the low estimate.
The nose on this copper-hued single malt shows caramel and a hint of smoke. The expansive, rounded flavors seem to gain intensity with every sip—dark toffee, espresso, cocoa and oak meld with peat smoke, leading into a warming, cinnamon-accented finish. *Top 100 Spirits of 2019* (KN) 
(12/2019)
