Whisky Auction Update June 16, 2023: Macallan Takes a Nosedive, but It's Likely To Be Brief

A bottle of Macallan The Reach 81 year old was sold at auction earlier this month, this one by Whisky Auctioneer. It was the fourth-highest single-bottle hammer price for a whisky so far in 2023, but the price represented a sharp drop for this ultra-aged Macallan expression. The most recent previous sale of The Reach was at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April, when it went for a quarter of a million dollars higher. Has The Reach achieved maximum reach? It’s far too early to tell. This is the lowest hammer price for this whisky to date, but only three bottles have been sold at auction thus far, and the price in April’s Hong Kong auction was part of Sotheby’s 50 Years In Asia activities, which may have attracted a larger audience and driven up the price. The winning bid at Whisky Auctioneer was in line with that achieved at a Sotheby’s special auction for The Reach last fall, so the value of this Macallan is probably just finding its feet.

Whisky Auctioneer

Auction ended June 5th

• Scotch: Macallan The Reach 81 year old, $223,861. Decanter No. 79 of 288 fetched $223,861 after failing to meet the reserve last month.
• Japanese: Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Two of Clubs Cask No. 9500, $32,957. One of 318 bottles, this was distilled in 2000 and bottled 7 years later after a mizunara cask finish.
• American: Overholt Rye Whiskey 1911, $6,467. Despite Whisky Auctioneer’s high hopes for D.H. Cromwell 15 year old from Stitzel-Weller, this classic pre-Prohibition quart of Overholt was the highest-priced American whiskey to sell at the auction this month.

Unicorn Auctions

Auction ended June 11th

• American: Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof, $3,725. This 2012 bottling had handwritten labels and was bottled at 134.5 proof.
• Japanese: Yamazaki Peated Malt (2020 release), $2,050. An unusual peated expression from Yamazaki Distillery, released in 2020 along with four other expressions showcasing different aspects of Yamazaki’s character.
• Scotch: Dalmore 25 year old, $980. While the year of release is not specified, this aged Highland single malt was still a smart buy at this price.

Scotch Whisky Auctions

Auction ended June 11th

• Japanese: Yamazaki 1984, $16,342. Released to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of Yamazaki single malt whisky, this has been highly sought after by collectors since the day it was released.
• Scotch: Cadenhead’s Clynelish 1965, $15,713. A 20 year old independent bottling from Brora Distillery (then called Clynelish) by William Cadenhead’s of Campbeltown. The Clynelish Distillery that is operational today opened in 1967.
• American: Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 year old (2018 release) $2,388. Though not a Stitzel-Weller bottling, this still attracts bids.

Lot of the Week

These days, bespoke packaging and labels are created for limited-edition whiskies, however this month, Christie’s demonstrated that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. This 19^th-century bottling of Smith's Glenlivet 1883 may have faded, soiled, and chipped hand-typed labels and a scuffed capsule, but it still fetched a hammer price of nearly $25,000. It was selected by wine & spirit merchants David Sandeman & Sons, of 53-59 Miller Street, Glasgow, a company with historic links to the founding of Sandeman, best known for its port, sherry, brandy, and madeira. This 19^th-century commercial property is now protected as a historical building—though it’s now a bridal boutique, Glenlivet is still served by the dram in The Spiritualist, the cocktail bar and restaurant across the street.

Lot: Smith’s Glenlivet 1883
Sold at: Christie’s, London
Hammer Price: $24,896

Upcoming Auctions

June 16^th, Sotheby’s New York: Macallan Edrington Americas A rare opportunity for Macallan collectors to acquire this bottling gifted to Edrington Americas staff in 2014.

June 29^th, Bonhams, Paris: Macallan 30 year old. Bonhams has two bottles of the classic blue box presentation of Macallan 30 year old going under the hammer. These days, Macallan releases two versions of its 30 year old, namely Sherry Oak and Double Cask, which we reviewed here.

July 2nd, Irish Whiskey Auctions: Dingle Cask No.2 Distilled in 2012 and part of the first-ever casks of Dingle to be filled, this 3 year old triple distilled Irish single malt was only available to the distillery’s Founding Fathers, their group of 500 cask owners who invested at the beginning of Dingle Distillery.