55-year-old single malt Scotch whiskey for ~$12,000 (only 420 available)

[Xstatic1]

TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - Looking for a Christmas gift for someone with rich taste? You might want to consider a bottle of super-expensive Scotch whiskey.

Macallan, one of the world's leading brands of whiskey, is selling a 55-year-old single malt in a Lalique crystal container in a limited edition for C$12,000 ($11,840).

Only 420 will be sold worldwide.

"You very seldom encounter 55-year-old whiskies because the chances for the whiskey to continue to age beautifully, to continue to interact with the wood in such a way that it remains nice and positive and harmonious are rare as the whisky grows older," said Marc Laverdiere of Macallan.

First released in 2006, the single malt was matured in Scotland for half a century in a sherry oak cask. Laverdiere said it takes three years by law to make whiskey but most varieties are matured for only 10 to 12 years.

"If you have an exceptional cast, the whiskey in it will mature gracefully over a long period of time," he added.

The most expensive Scotch whiskey sold at auction was a 1926 bottle of Macallan Scotch that fetched $54,000. It was bottled in 1986 after spending 60 years in a wooden barrel. A private New York investor bought the bottle earlier this month.

At the same sale in New York an anonymous buyer paid $102,000 for what was described as "an instant Scotch library" containing 729 bottles from blended Scotches to single malts from distilleries in the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands.

pic & article (enlargen pic to see container)

 

[TallBill]

Wowie zowie. I bet that the "instant scotch library" winner probably got far more then $102,000 worth of scotch.

Thats only $91636 /year income. Not much of a profit at all.

 

[Exterous]

Thanks - in for two

 

[ultimatebob]

Haven't any chemists figured out how to "speed age" whiskey yet? You would think that they would have an additive by now that could product 20 years of aging in six months.

 

[AnyMal]

For those of you who have Costco nearby, they have 18 y/o Macallan for $55.00 Not quite the same, but hey....

 

[George P Burdell]

Nice!

 

[compnovice]

<-- Hot Deals

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
For those of you who have Costco nearby, they have 18 y/o Macallan for $55.00 Not quite the same, but hey....

All the Costco near me are sold out of the Kirkland Macallan. I've been checking for the past month and nothing.

 

[Saint Michael]

Liquor makes me gag, that fluid would provide me with the most expensive regurgitation I would ever commit.

 

[spidey07]

Clue for people...

Age does not equal better. In many ways it makes it worse. Ask any master distiller, whiskey maker or master taster.

 

[ktehmok]

Drinking from that bottle would have to be a pretty special occasion. Something like burying your wife in the backyard 2 days before she told anyone you were having marital problems, but after she told everyone that she was going on a "hand-feed the crocodiles" trip to Zimbabwe.

I'm kidding...pricey booze though.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Complete waste of money.

 

[StevenYoo]

that stuff better regenerate limbs

 

[Scarpozzi]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Clue for people...

Age does not equal better. In many ways it makes it worse. Ask any master distiller, whiskey maker or master taster.

Indeed. Once it ages to a certain degree, it will pull its flavor out of the wood. The only thing it gets beyond that is subtle complexity and the alcohol mellows. (usually isn't quite as hot) Usually 5 years is all it takes for 90% of this to take place. Most Whiskeys are distilled 7 years and most scotches are 10-12 with a few going 15-18 for a premium.

From there, it's really more about prestige and bragging rights. Some of the best whiskeys and scotches I've had were 7 and 12 year bottles.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
For those of you who have Costco nearby, they have 18 y/o Macallan for $55.00 Not quite the same, but hey....

I got a bottle of 12 from Costco for about $38.00. Haven't seen the 18 though. I'll have to look harder the next time. The last time i saw 18 in a store, it was over $100.

 

[akshatp]

This belongs in hot deals. In for three!

 

[RU482]

I have a dumb question.

I assume that "aged 55yrs" means aged in a barrel.

Would a bottle of scotch that was 55 yrs old have any value to it?

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: ktehmok
Drinking from that bottle would have to be a pretty special occasion. Something like burying your wife in the backyard 2 days before she told anyone you were having marital problems, but after she told everyone that she was going on a "hand-feed the crocodiles" trip to Zimbabwe.

I'm kidding...pricey booze though.

C'mon, that only happens...what, 2-3 times in a mans life, right?

 

[illusion88]

How could you afford to drink it? Might as well keep it as an investment

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: redly1
Would a bottle of scotch that was 55 yrs old have any value to it?

no, not generally.

From Wikipedia concerning whiskies:

"Whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask, so the "age" of a scotch is the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects how much the cask has interacted with the whisky, changing its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskies which have been in bottle for many years may have a rarity value, but are not "older" and will not necessarily be "better" than a more recently made whisky matured in wood for a similar time"

 

[angminas]

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: redly1
Would a bottle of scotch that was 55 yrs old have any value to it?

no, not generally.

From Wikipedia concerning whiskies:

"Whiskies do not mature in the bottle, only in the cask, so the "age" of a scotch is the time between distillation and bottling. This reflects how much the cask has interacted with the whisky, changing its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskies which have been in bottle for many years may have a rarity value, but are not "older" and will not necessarily be "better" than a more recently made whisky matured in wood for a similar time"

He didn't ask if it would be "better", he asked if it would have any value to it. Completely different. Pay attention, son.

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Haven't any chemists figured out how to "speed age" whiskey yet? You would think that they would have an additive by now that could product 20 years of aging in six months.

You would think so, yes, but the reality is that Scotch and the human body sensing it are just too complicated for this to work. 20-year-old Scotch is a luxury item, so it has to be good, or it won't sell. Nothing short of a ST:TNG replicator could make really good Scotch in anything monstrously different from the old-fashioned way. There's a reason Scotch is made in Scotland- it's not because people haven't tried to make it in other places. If you could make good cheap Scotch in China, somebody would be doing it.

I wonder, though, if that might not be possible with less chemically and physically complex spirits like vodka or rum. They have artificial rum flavor in the baking aisle of any supermarket- you could try mixing that with Everclear and water and see how it tastes. I would not be surprised if it tasted a lot like cheap white rum. Bacardi at best, I'm sure. But I think it would be more likely to taste just plain nauseatingly weird.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: angminas
I wonder, though, if that might not be possible with less chemically and physically complex spirits like vodka or rum.

Vodka does not need to be aged.

 

[Pepsei]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Haven't any chemists figured out how to "speed age" whiskey yet? You would think that they would have an additive by now that could product 20 years of aging in six months.

yea... they found out "time" is the main ingredient.

 

[silverpig]

It's sort of the same with wine. After 6 months it's about 90% aged. Most wines will generally improve up to 2 years, but not much more than that. Those wines you hear about from 1946 going for thousands of dollars aren't because they're old, but because they're rare. It's a bit different with wines though as they do mellow in the bottle.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: pyonir

Originally posted by: AnyMal
For those of you who have Costco nearby, they have 18 y/o Macallan for $55.00 Not quite the same, but hey....

I got a bottle of 12 from Costco for about $38.00. Haven't seen the 18 though. I'll have to look harder the next time. The last time i saw 18 in a store, it was over $100.

They're sold under Kirkland brand, if it helps.