The Macallan and Lalique Launch The Macallan 64 Year Old Single Malt Whisky in Lalique: Cire Perdue
Iconic luxury brands The Macallan and Lalique have come together again on the 150th anniversary of Rene Lalique’s birth, building on their highly successful partnership to produce a one-of-a-kind decanter, which will hold the oldest and rarest Macallan ever bottled by this highly regarded distillery. The Macallan in Lalique Cire Perdue decanter contains a 64 year-old Macallan single malt whisky, destined for final auction by Sotheby’s on November 15, 2010 in New York. All of the proceeds of this remarkable piece will be donated to charity: water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. In an eight month traveling exhibit and fundraising journey, The Macallan in Lalique: Cire Perdue decanter will travel around the world from Paris to New York via Madrid, London, Moscow, Seoul, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.
The Cire Perdue decanter has been designed by the legendary French crystal house Lalique, exclusively for The Macallan, the inspiration for which is the beauty of The Macallan’s 150 hectare estate in north-eastern Scotland.
David Cox, Director of Fine & Rare Whiskies for The Macallan, comments: “We have established a very close working relationship with Lalique over the past six years. We share a heritage based on a commitment to craftsmanship and creativity, underpinned by a genuine passion to strive for the best in all our endeavours. Having decided to donate the proceeds from the auction of this beautiful decanter and its rarest of whiskies to charity, we decided to partner with charity: water. Given the predictions of future water shortages and recent natural catastrophes, we felt we wanted to contribute something really positive to help. We are hoping for some extraordinary generosity at the final auction in New York in November.”
“We are delighted that the proceeds from this historic auction of The Macallan in Lalique: Cire Perdue decanter will benefit charity: water,” said Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water. “Clean water projects bring communities together and offer improved health, a better quality of life and hope for a better future. I look forward to working closely with The Macallan and Lalique to bring clean water to some of the billion people on the planet without it.”
The first dram of the 64 year-old Scotch that was auctioned in Paris went for 5,000 Euro (about $6,694) dollars. That single donation will provide a community of 250 people with clean, safe drinking water for 20 years! With 10 more auctions to go through the year, all involved are excited for the charitable results this project will accomplish.
“Water is fundamental to the craftsmanship behind both The Macallan and Lalique,” continued Cox. “The word “whisky” derives from the Latin, “aqua vitae”, or “water of life”, and is one of the three natural ingredients of The Macallan, together with barley and yeast. Water is also critical for Lalique at the point of detailing, sanding and polishing the crystal pieces.”
The 64 years old Macallan has been vatted together from three casks, all built from sherry seasoned Spanish oak. The first was filled in 1942, the second in 1945 and the third in January 1946, from which the age of this great Macallan has been taken.
This Macallan is rare for a couple of reasons; firstly The Macallan is widely recognized as one of the few single malts which can mature to a great age without losing its character to the powerful influence of Spanish oak maturation casks, seasoned with sherry, for which The Macallan is particularly well-known. The Macallan’s rich, oily spirit ensures the whisky achieves a balance and depth of aromas and flavours over many years in these casks, a balance often sought, but rarely achieved; secondly, this is the oldest Macallan ever released by the distillery in its 186 year history. Prior to the release of this 64 years old Macallan in the Cire Perdue decanter, the previous oldest Macallan released by the distillery was the 60 years old, distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986, of which only forty bottles were ever produced.
Character of The Macallan 64 years old:
- The 64 years old Macallan has a lovely rich oak colour.
- On the nose, notes of peat smoke, dried orange peel, muscovado sugar and cedar wood, mixed with spicy cinnamon sticks and cloves.
- On the palate, spicy, blood oranges, rosin, treacle, walnuts, cocoa chocolate and peat smoke.
- The finish is soft, smooth and spicy, with lingering peats and dark chocolate.
The decanter has been designed at Lalique’s Design Studio in Paris, based upon a ship’s decanter of the 1820’s, the decade in which The Macallan was founded, in 1824. Lalique’s designer felt the shape lent itself perfectly to the beautifully crafted panorama of The Macallan estate by the river Spey, in north east Scotland.
Lalique’s designer and craftsmen then worked to highlight the beauty of The Macallan’s estate, with its fields of barley, its woodlands, the river Spey flowing past its borders to the south and Easter Elchies House, The Macallan’s spiritual home built in 1700, lying at the heart of the estate.
Silvio Denz, President and CEO of Lalique, commented, “We are enormously proud to be collaborating again with The Macallan, and in such a worthwhile cause. In today’s highly interconnected world, we are all increasingly aware of the needs of those much less fortunate than ourselves. We have been working on a series of decanters with The Macallan since 2004… each holding Macallan whiskies of 50, 55 and 57 years old respectively. They have proved hugely admired and sought after around the world by whisky consumers and connoisseurs, as well as collectors of Lalique crystal and lovers of beautiful objets d’art. This latest decanter, a remarkable, unique work of art, holding such an old and rare Macallan, takes our partnership to a new level.”
The Macallan and Lalique at Auction
A 60 year-old Macallan, distilled in 1926, sold for US$75,000 to a South Korean buyer in 2005. As the Cire Perdue decanter contains a 64 years old Macallan, the oldest and rarest ever released by the distillery, the extraordinary price for the 1926 is likely to be surpassed.
A Rene Lalique jewel of 1903, “Chardons”, sold for US$363,000 in October 2006 in New York, and, in October 2009, an Art Nouveau multi-gem and enamel pendant necklace by Rene Lalique was auctioned in New York for a world record US$554,500, against an estimate of US$400,000.
Jeremy Morrison, Director of 20th Century Design, Sotheby’s London, commented, “The virtuoso glass art of René Lalique is amongst the most sought after and recognizable forms of 20th century design. One of the masters of the Art Deco style, Lalique’s pioneering work has been offered in Sotheby’s sales since we first held dedicated auctions of Decorative Art in the late 1960s. Sotheby’s is very proud to be involved with Lalique and The Macallan in their project to raise substantial funds for charity: water to help bring clean drinking water to developing nations”.
The Exhibition and Fundraising Tour The decanter will travel across the world, beginning in Paris on April 6, 2010 and ending in New York City at the Sotheby’s auction on November 15, 2010. At events along the way, The Macallan and Lalique will auction rare, 10 cl drams of The Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique: Cire Perdue to benefit charity: water.
Tour du Monde: Paris, Madrid, London, Moscow, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, New York
Click here to track the fundraising progress and view images from the tour.
Click here for more information on Lalique.
Click here for more information on charity: water.
Click here for more information on how to participate in the final auction at Sotheby’s New York.
