UPDATE (October 24,2024): The Macallan miniatures failed to sell as the reserve price was not met, and the sale did not break Whisky.Auction's record for the highest hammer price of the year.
London-based online auctioneer Whisky.Auction hopes to sell a collection of 44 Macallan Fine & Rare miniatures for over $327,000 (£250,000). The rare set of miniatures span near-vertical distillation dates from 1937 to 1991 and contain whiskies aged between 15 and 56 years, which correspond to full-sized releases in the Macallan Fine & Rare collection. Each miniature is housed in an individual wooden box, and if the bidding meets expectations, then Whisky.Auction estimates each miniature is worth more than $7,400 apiece. Following The Ultimate Whisky Collection sale at Sotheby’s, London in 2019, we reported that a 46-bottle set of Macallan Fine & Rare miniatures in a lockable bespoke wall cabinet sold for a hammer price of $358,737. The 44-bottle miniature collection at Whisky.Auction is missing the 1937 37 year old and the 1985 29 year old miniatures compared with the set in the cabinet sold at Sotheby’s 5 years ago.
The collection displays the wide array of Macallan’s natural colors from the oak from light gold to dark mahogany, and encompasses many examples from the 1930s and 1940s when Macallan used peated malt. Macallan recently released the oldest ever whisky, the Macallan Time : Space, which included an 84 year old peated whisky distilled in 1940 and the first whisky from the new Macallan Distillery. This collection of miniatures includes two Macallan 1940 miniatures, bottled in the late 1970s, and aged for 37 and 39 years.
A collection of 44 miniatures is about the same volume as three regular bottles of whisky. Macallan bottled or re-bottled most of these miniatures in 2002, but a significant degree of evaporation has affected some of the tiny bottles over the past 22 years. In at least 25% of this collection, the liquid levels have fallen below the shoulder into the body of the bottle. The Macallan Fine & Rare 1970 31 year old is notably only half full, so potential bidders should request a condition report on the full collection before bidding.
Whisky.Auction is the only auction house offering regular dedicated sales of whisky miniatures. Ahead of this sale, Whisky.Auction’s highest hammer price for a miniature this year was $3,916 for a Springbank 1919 50 year old in January. This month’s sale also includes a number of rare scotch and Japanese miniatures and commemorative ceramic decanters.
Whisky.Auction’s October 2024 Miniatures, Memorabilia, and Books auction ends on October 22nd and buyer’s premiums are 15% of the hammer price.
