Macallan Lalique Six Pillars Collection Leads the way in Record Breaking Online Auction

PERTH, SCOTLAND – Bottles from The Macallan Lalique Six Pillars collection have broken auction records after being sold in a recent auction by Whisky Auctioneer (www.whiskyauctioneer.com), achieving a collective hammer price across the four lots of £296,500.

This price surpasses the previous record from November 2018, when four bottles from the same series sold at auction for a collective hammer price of £272,000 according to Rare Whisky 101.

The Macallan Lalique Six Pillars Collection is one of the most exclusive and desirable ranges of whisky in the world. Featuring in the auction was the 50 Year Old, 55 Year Old, 57 Year Old and 60 Year Old.   These lots prompted an enormous amount of interest and bidding activity from across the globe with over 140 bids placed across the four lots. The eventual winners were located in the US, Asia and the UK.

The bottles also played a contributing role in an even larger record being broken. With a total value in excess of £2.6 million, Whisky Auctioneer’s December Auction itself is the highest value online auction ever. Close to £850,000 of this £2.6million came from sales of bottles of The Macallan alone.

These records not only indicate the continuing global demand for buying and selling whisky on the secondary market but also the increasing use of online auctions as a means for private collectors and investors to access old, rare and iconic whiskies.

Iain McClune, director of Whisky Auctioneer, said: “We are beyond delighted to feature these exceptional bottles in our auction. They represent the absolute pinnacle of rare whisky collecting and investing.”

“Our most recent auction result illustrates that the very highest end of the secondary market, which was once the preserve of the traditional auction house and its attendees, is now accessible via online auction. A positive development that makes the buying and selling of whisky an easier and more straightforward process that is open to all.”

It was not just The Macallan that broke records either: Other record-breaking bottles sold within the same auction include the Hibiki Arita Decanter, that achieved a hammer price of £17,500 and the Bruichladdich 1960 Sherry Cask 100 Proof, that achieved a hammer price of £10,000.

It is not unusual for the Perth based company to see records broken in their monthly auctions however the large number witnessed in their most recent auction speaks of an exciting year ahead both for Whisky Auctioneer and the industry as a whole.

The next auction goes live on 25 January and will close on 4 February.

Listings and further information below:

Listings:

 https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/156063/macallan-50-year-old-lalique-six-pillars-collection

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/156066/macallan-55-year-old-lalique-six-pillars-collection

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/156064/macallan-57-year-old-lalique-six-pillars-collection

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/156065/macallan-60-year-old-lalique-six-pillars-collection

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/148469/hibiki-35-year-old-arita-decanter

https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/lot/148631/bruichladdich-1960-sherry-cask-100-proof

For more information on auctions or to register to participate in the next auction please visit www.whiskyauctioneer.com

Additional Information

1. Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky, whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable.
2. Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, Whisky Auctioneer aims to be the most comprehensive website available for the buying and selling of whisky.
3. Whisky Auctioneer holds regular monthly online auctions as well as specialist auctions for collectible whiskies and exclusive releases.
4. To buy or sell on the Whisky Auctioneer website, an account must be first set up here: https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/register
5. Social Media Handles:
   1. twitter: @whisky_auction
   2. facebook: @WhiskyAuctioneer
   3. web: whiskyauctioneer.com

Whisky is here!

With the final season of Game of Thrones coming in April this year, HBO & Diageo have brought together eight single malts, one for each of the iconic Houses of Westeros as well as one for the Night’s Watch.

Each of the eight whiskies from the limited edition collection are from a different distiller and four expressions in the collection feature completely new liquid bottled especially for the series with the Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old and Cardhu Gold Reserve rebottled and available in the UK for the first time. Take a look at the full collection below.

Game Of Thrones Collection

CARDHU GOLD RESERVE GAME OF THRONES HOUSE TARGARYEN

CLYNELISH RESERVE GAME OF THRONES HOUSE TYRRELL

DALWHINNIE WINTER’S FROST GAME OF THRONES HOUSE STARK

LAGAVULIN 9 YEAR OLD GAME OF THRONES HOUSE LANNISTER

ROYAL LOCHNAGAR 12 YEAR OLD GAME OF THRONES HOUSE BARATHEON

TALISKER SELECT RESERVE – GAME OF THRONES HOUSE GREYJOY

SINGLETON OF GLENDULLAN RESERVE GAME OF THRONES HOUSE TULLY

OBAN BAY RESERVE GAME OF THRONES THE NIGHT’S WATCH

JOHNNIE WALKER WHITE WALKER

Happy New Year

We hope you all had a lovely festive time and all the best for 2019

We saw in 2019 nicely with our first festival of the year – Harrow Whisky Festival – It is a two day event at ‘Best Western Plus’ Grims Dyke Hotel in Harrow and tickets are for one of the three tastings or can include an overnight stay and meal in the restaurant.  The food is superb and the hospitality unbeatable.  We already have the dates in our diary for next year.  Please see more information here, if you are local (or even if you’re not)!

HARROW WHISKY FESTIVAL

The Festival ‘Best Seller’

Cameronbridge 1982

People couldn’t quite believe the price we were selling a 36 Year Old grain for!  It was really nice to see the festivals goers trying and absolutely loving this whisky!  Some of the comments made our day such as ‘the nicest grain they had ever tried!’

New Year Voucher

To Welcome you into the New Year please take advantage of this voucher for 10% off anything you purchase.

‘thanks19’

Shop Now

Orkney
15 Year Old 2002
Cask #3
$84.49

SHOP NOW >

Highland Park 15 Year Old 2002 vintage Orcadian single malt Scotch whisky. Single sherry cask #3 bottled 2018 by Berry Bros & Rudd exclusively for The Whisky Barrel. 180 bottles at cask strength. This sherry butt has archived the tricky balance of peat and sherry beautifully. Aromas of cigar box, leather and honey abound. The palate delivers a near perfect orcadian whisky, combining dried figs, dates and runes with peat smoke and complex floral notes. The is superlative whisky finishes with clove rock and more rich fruit.

Mystery single malt that don’t want to reveal their true identity. Rummage around and with a bit of investigation you are sure to find a rare unspecified bottling from independent bottler.

https://youtu.be/eXrsV9pEZpc

 For such a small distillery, Springbank has a reputation like no other. 750,000 litres of whisky produced every year and a demand that just doesn’t quit. Luckily, they keep their stock on very good rotation and allow so many different influences form across the world. This particular example of 21YO single malt is 70% Ex-Rum Cask and 30% Ex-Bourbon Barrel – now, it’s not everyday that i get to try things like this, needless to say that it was beyond a welcome surprise. Cheers

The Perfect Burns Night Dinner – Guid Auld Scotch Drink

At the end of the month is one of the biggest dates in the Scottish calendar. When it comes to excuses for a party, at least. Less than a month after Hogmanay and it’s time for another night of celebration – 25 January is Burns Night.

Who was Robert Burns?

For those who don’t know the work of Robert Burns, he was a Scottish writer, who was born on 25 January 1759 – hence the date of Burns Night – and died in 1796. In his time he was a not only a writer and poet, but also a farmer and an exciseman, working a beat in the lowlands that included checking up on at least Annandale distillery.

He is one of the most influential writers in Scottish history, and his influence is still felt today. In honour of his life, his birthday has now become a day of celebration, with Burns Suppers and parties popping up around the world.

Sowing the seeds of Burns

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a fan of Burns and his poetry, with the seeds sown at my first Burns Supper at The Whisky Exchange in Vinopolis. Franchi Ferla of Simply Whisky stalked the floor while telling the tale of Tam o’ Shanter – still one of my favourite Burns poems – and I was a convert.

Simply Whisky do Burns Night – If you see these two at the front of a Burns Supper, you’re in for a treat

Since then, I’ve expanded on my Burns Night obsession each year, with posts on food and beer ideas, ginny alternatives to whisky, a spot of poetry and keeping things more traditional. Strangely, the one thing I’ve not looked into is what whisky to drink with your Burns Supper.

A traditional Burns Supper can take many different forms – there have been suppers for more than 200 years and things have changed a lot over that time. However, here’s a skeleton of how things usually go and what we’d recommend – feel free to add bagpipers and as many courses as you like.

Before Dinner

As an opening dram of the evening, we’d go for something lighter and more aperitif-like. To keep with the Burns theme, we’ve chosen Arran Robert Burns Single Malt, the ‘official’ Robert Burns whisky. We’re not entirely sure what makes it official, but it’s the perfect start to an evening of whisky, food and poetry.

Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
– The Selkirk Grace, the traditional opening to dinner

The Soup

Some like a Scotch Broth, some a Cullen Skink, but if I’m about to chow down on a hearty main course, then Cock-a-leekie is the soup I want to start with. As the name suggests, it’s a chicken and leek soup, traditionally with prunes in the mix. I like the recipe on GreatBritishChefs from Graeme Taylor of A Scots Larder – it’s a bit more substantial than some, has carrots for extra sweetness and has the prunes cooked in from the beginning rather than used just as a garnish.

On thee aft Scotland chows her cood,
In souple scones, the wale o’food!
Or tumblin in the boiling flood
Wi’ kail an’ beef;
– Scotch Drink. Burns liked a bit of beef and cabbage soup

To go with the soup, we’d go for something lighter and sweeter, although with enough weight not to get lost – something that will pair rather than contrast with the homely, comfort-food character of chicken soup. We’ve chosen Bruichladdich Islay Barley. It’s buttery and creamy, like most Bruichladdichs, with a touch of grain sweetness. Our second choice is Glen Grant 18 Year Old. More delicate than the Bruichladdich, it’s got more sweetness and a touch of dried fruit richness hiding at the back – just the thing to pair with a prune-tinged Cock-a-leekie.

The Haggis

The arrival of the haggis is the centrepiece of a Burns Supper. Cooked in whatever manner you wish (I like to wrap mine in foil and roast it), it should be brought in whole and presented to the assembled throng. It’s at this point that the most famous bit of dinner poetry is read – Address to a Haggis. This is the important bit:

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An cut you up wi ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

That means it’s slicey-slicey time. Cut open the Haggis and make sure it gets served quickly: haggis is at its best when hot. It’s usually served with neeps and tatties – mashed turnips and potatoes – and a sauce that often has a bit of whisky in. Just make sure you don’t pour whisky over the haggis: it’s not a Christmas pudding.

With the simple application of heat, a magical transformation occurs – warm-reekin, rich!

To go with the main course, you need something a bit more robust – haggis is a peppery beast, with strong flavours throughout, and the neeps and tatties normally have more than their fair share of butter. Our first pick is our Whisky-Exchange-exclusive Glenfarclas 2007 Marriage of Casks. It’s rich, spicy and very sherried, without getting too heavy – it won’t be cowed by a weighty haggis. And as an alternative, something a bit smoky: Talisker 2007 Distillers Edition – it’s got the classic salt, pepper and smoke Talisker character with an extra hit of richness from its amoroso finish. An excellent match.

The Dessert

Dessert often gets a bit forgotten at Burns Suppers. However, when it comes to rib-sticking puds, the Scottish know a thing or two.

If you look beyond the deep-fried Mars Bar (no matter what The Three Drinkers recommend), there’s a whole raft of options, with Clootie Dumpling sitting at the top of my puddin’ pile. However, after a hearty serving of haggis, there’s only one dessert for me: cranachan.

It’s a Scottish riff on a style of pudding that pops up wherever there is milk: cream, something sweet, something crunchy and something fruity. Eschewing the southern decadence of the Eton Mess’s meringues, cranachan is straight-down-the-line Scottish: cream, heather honey, oats and raspberries. With maybe a splash of whisky. Just a splash…

Some experimental cranachans, including a rather tasty one using gooseberries…

Matching whisky and creamy things can be difficult, but we reckon something fruity will give an extra layer of flavour. Our first fruity dram is Ben Nevis 10 Year Old. It’s got a whiff of smoke and a rich chocolate background, but it’s also packed with tropical-fruit flavour – it’ll cut through the cream and compliment the berries. Our second choice is our exclusive Glenlivet 1981 from Signatory. It’s got orchard and stone fruit in spades, and has a rich, sherry-cask backbone that’ll make sure the cranachan doesn’t take over.

After Dinner

Once the eating has finally finished, it’s time for some more whisky, and a bit of a sing-song. Arguably Burns’ most famous poem is one that people around the world sing without realising it’s one of his: Auld Laing Syne. It’s not all his own work, but he added some verses to an old folk song, and it’s thanks to him that it’s spread as far as it has.

While it’s best known as a new year song, it’s also traditionally sung at the end of a Burns Supper. It’s a song about remembering friendship and times past – the perfect end to the evening.

If you’re singing, you need a drink in your hand, and we’d go for something big and special. Our first choice is the Whisky-Exchange-exclusive Speyside 1973 bottled by The Whisky Agency. It’s packed with tropical and dried fruit, with the fruity spirit amplified by maturation in a sherry cask – we think it might have been a fino cask. Our second choice is even bigger and more sherried – our exclusive Edradour 2005 oloroso sherry cask. It’s a sherry monster, with loads of dried fruit and spice, just the thing for toasting the end of the perfect Burns Supper.

Scotch Drink

Whatever you do this Burns Night, make sure you raise a dram to the Ploughman Poet – as if we need an excuse to drink some guid auld scotch drink.

O thou, my muse!
guid auld Scotch drink!
Whether thro’ wimplin worms thou jink,
Or, richly brown, ream owre the brink,
In glorious faem,
Inspire me, till I lisp an’ wink,
To sing thy name!
–Scotch Drink, my favourite Burns poem

Help us celebrate 

‘Burns Night’  

the way it was intended…

By drinking Single Malt Scotch!

without the birthday boy!

‘Burns Night’ is Friday, January 25th.  If you have no plans, want to know what that’s all about or just want to sample some phenomenal single malt scotch ~ you’re invited.

Park Ave – After Hours is celebrating this controversial yet somehow beloved Scotsman.

Four single malts from four different distilleries will be poured and there won’t be a haggis in sight!

We know this is short notice but these events tend to fill-up so please RSVP- ASAP.

Details are below. 

Cheers!
Jonathan, Eric & Marlon
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com

 These event fill up so please RSVP – ASAP. We are not responsible for any typographical errors nor do we endorse the life and times of Robert Burns. Please contact the store with any questions.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com

LIP-SMACKING SEDUCTION
CASK NO. 135.4
CASK: 2nd fill barrel
AGE: 17 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Sweet, fruity & mellow

COOL AS A CUCUMBER
CASK NO. 70.26
CASK: Refill barrel
AGE: 9 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Young & spritely

MAKING A HAZEL BOW
CASK NO: 9.134
CASK: Refill barrel
AGE: 11 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Juicy, oak & vanilla

RELAXING IN A SAUNA
CASK NO: 46.57
CASK: Refill hogshead
AGE: 24 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Spicy & dry

BEESWAX ON A CELLO
First release from distillery 68 for SMWS Canada
CASK NO: 68.12
CASK: Re-charred hogshead
AGE: 8 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Deep, rich & dried fruits

A MASCULINE ENIGMA
CASK NO: 93.90
CASK: Refill hogshead
AGE: 16 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Lightly peated

SMOKED SALT ORANGE PEEL
CASK NO: 53.250
CASK: Refill hogshead
AGE: 11 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Lightly peated

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

Great Whiskies for Burns Night

We’ve selected some super single malts, that would be perfect for any Burns Supper. From Bruichladdich to Caol Ila; and Ben Nevis to Benrinnes. Burns Night on the 25th January each year marks the birth in 1759 of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. It is a celebration of the life and works of ‘Rabbie’ and traditionally sees a Burns supper enjoyed with Scottish Haggis and a Scotch Whisky. Here we have 25 of our top picks of Scotch Whisky (and a Rabbie’s Rum) for celebrating Burns Night. “Freedom an’ whisky gang thegither”

Whether you’re having a quiet night at home or a proper Scottish ceilidh, we’ve got some excellent Exclusives to suggest for Burns Night.

“Where oh where has Pat Dunlop from thewhiskymafia.com gone?! What could explain his absence from the blogosphere? Has he once again fled the country? Has he given up on whisky? Is there a cake involved? The answers to these, and other questions, can be found in a thrilling new post entitled 5 Things TheWhiskymafia Has Been Up To. To continue the thrilling adventures of this always mysterious, enthralling and entertaining whisky blogger, you’ll need to click here.