Sothebys to Auction 78-Year-Old Whisky in Six Bottle Set

The Red Collection is set for auction after being gifted by The Macallan to raise funds for a food charity which redistributes surplus from the food industry to vulnerable people across the UK
Sothebys will offer a complete set with hand-signed labels by Spanish artist and illustrator Javi Aznarez
Sothebys will offer a complete set with hand-signed labels by Spanish artist and illustrator Javi Aznarez
Updated on
2 min read

World&rsquos most renowned whiskey brand The Macallan is famous for its deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship. So much so that its rare releases fetch a pretty penny. After all, it is the most desired label for whiskey collectors worldwide.

Whisky&nbspconnoisseurs will be happy to hear that Sotheby's is putting up The Red Collection for auction.

Named after the distillery&rsquos founder Alexander Reid, the classic aged collection of single malt completes the set of six whiskies including The Macallan 40 Years Old, The Macallan 50 Years Old and The Macallan 60 Years Old, which are joined by two highly aged bottles at 71 Years Old and 74 Years Old.

The final bottle in this collection has been matured for 78 years, making it not only The Macallan distillery's oldest bottle, but also the oldest age statement whisky ever offered at an auction.

The Red Collection is set to auction at the Sotheby&rsquos first annual sale of Spirits in London after being gifted by The Macallan to City Harvest to raise funds for the food charity which redistributes surplus from the food industry to vulnerable people across the country. The Ultimate Whisky Collection Part II is set to open on the day Halloween is celebrated, that is October 31.

 
 
 
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Behold The first full set of @the_macallan #MacallanRedCollection in private hands Very happy and proud to have these babies all together. Had to pull out #extraordinaryresources and my trusted old Canon EOS 1D for this #photoshoot in the office as neither iPhone nor IG (aspect ratio) does justice to this #MagnificentLineup - either way, I have never seen hype at this level, nor the excitement in the market for bottles of this nature it makes everything else seem like complete kindergarten, but as predicted here last month, nothing comes close to this in terms of #whiskysets of course unless you incorporate Macallan&rsquos previous #legendary #FineandRare set into the equation and that still remains the #MonumentofWhisky with more than 60 different expressions, and then the #staggering @lalique set from #Macallan50 to 72 years of age with #amazingpackaging so #RedCollection has a way to go, but don&rsquot worry...more bottles are planned for this in the future, so it&rsquoll grow and maybe even incorporate a number starting with an &lsquo8&rsquo...ð²ðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂð»ðÂÂÂ¥ÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂð»ð . . #TheMacallan #Macallan #Scotch #Whisky #Scotland #ScotchWhisky #MakeTheCall #TheMacallanSixPillars #SixPillars #EasterElchies #TheSpiritualHome #CuriouslySmallStills #TheFinestCut #ExceptionalOakCasks #PeerlessSpirit #SherryCasks #MagicSpirit #TopClass

A post shared by The Gilmeister (@whiskyvegas) on Oct 18, 2020 at 536pm PDT

Each bottle in the set features label art by Spanish artist Javi Aznarez in his signature graphic style. Only two sets contain these labels Set 1 will remain in The Macallan&rsquos archives and Set 2 is being presented in the Sotheby&rsquos auction. As such, it is the only complete set of its kind to be made available to collectors around the world. The Sotheby&rsquos set also uniquely includes two exclusive display cases and two bespoke tables.

This collection will be individually packed in a refined wood presentation box that has been crafted carefully from sustainably sourced European oak, adding an extra layer of elegance and artisanship to the historic collection for the wider whisky industry.

 
 
 
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Now that @the_macallan #MacallanRedCollection is off the ground, the focus must now turn to the #CharityAuction which has been organized with @sothebys to hopefully not only set a #WorldRecord but also really do good. Here&rsquos the deal The extremely rare set of The #RedCollection that will be auctioned at Sotheby&rsquos differs from the standard release and can be identified by its exclusive labels, which are illustrated and signed by artist Javi Aznarez. Only two sets contain these labels Set #001 will remain in The Macallan&rsquos archives and #002, which is on offer in this Sotheby&rsquos Spirits Sale. This collection will be auctioned to benefit City Harvest London, a charity who redistributes surplus from the food industry to vulnerable people across London. I have posted these labels here as well, so you can drool over the lovely artwork and each label will be signed by the artist @javi_aznarez and the respective #WhiskyMaker but man I&rsquom loving these right now...ðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂð¤©ð¤©ð¤©ðÂÂÂ¥ÂÂÂðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂð» . #swipeleftâ¬ÂÂÂï¸Â . #TheMacallan #Macallan #Scotch #Whisky #Scotland #ScotchWhisky #MakeTheCall #TheMacallanSixPillars #SixPillars #EasterElchies #TheSpiritualHome #CuriouslySmallStills #TheFinestCut #ExceptionalOakCasks #PeerlessSpirit #SherryCasks #MagicSpirit #TopClass

A post shared by The Gilmeister (@whiskyvegas) on Oct 15, 2020 at 117pm PDT

Three of the bottles in the collection are hand-signed by Kirsteen Campbell, Master Whisky Maker at The Macallan in 2019. The remaining three bottles, the 71-Year-Old, 74-Year-Old and 78-Year-Old, are hand-signed by Sarah Burgess, lead whisky maker for The Macallan.

Based on The Macallan&rsquos  announcement, it seems The Red Collection is only the beginning of an ongoing series, which we assume means that more expressions will be added to the range over the next few years.

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