Collectables and special releases

Collectables

AND SPECIAL RELEASES

The Macallan Distillery

Finding some of the world’s most sought after whiskies takes explorers across the planet, via global transport hubs and into the far-flung reaches of islands battered by North Atlantic storms. Whisky collectors and connoisseurs alike have been known to part with what amounts to a deposit on a CBD apartment and possibly, in the odd case, equal the whole purchase amount. From 60-year-old Macallan to 25-year-old “Pappy” the collectors market is red hot. So hot, that one particular 51-yearold has decided to give away all 51 bottles ever released: for nothing.

LATEST SILLY RECORD PRICES FOR WHISKIES

It seems that every time you open a bottle of whisky, someone, somewhere, is paying silly money for the same, but different, stuff. Records for rare spirits continue to tumble. That is all fine for those with seriously deep pockets, as very few of us dabble in the realm of dreams, but it does seem that this is a factor in driving up prices across the board, especially for premium and limited releases, and for Japanese whisky in general.

Take the recent release from the ‘Exceptional Single Cask’ range offered by The Macallan from Scotland. Granted bottles of a single malt distilled way back in 1950 were never going to be cheap, nor should we expect them to be, but to sample what is presumably a stellar whisky, you will need to find a lazy £44,600 (one has to wonder why they didn’t just make it a nice round £45K). The release is limited to only 336 bottles, partly explaining the price. The whisky originally went into a first-fill Sherry butt cask on 9 November 1950, and was then bottled on 24 September 2018. Alas, I am unable to provide tasting notes.

But £44.6K is peanuts compared with the prices some Macallan whiskies attract. Their legendary 1926 is a prime example. A pair of them sold last year at the Dubai Airport for US$1.2m. Can’t imagine the new owners were left to find room for their new bottles in the overhead lockers for the trip home.

Only 40 bottles of the 1926 were ever made and 24 of them received special labels, a dozen designed by Sir Peter Blake (the man who designed the cover for the Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’) and a dozen by Valerio Adami. The dutyfree purchase soon looked like a bargain as, shortly after, another pair were sold in Hong Kong for more than US$2 million.

By the way, this was not some cunning plan by Macallan to lay down a barrel for sixty years and then release them for a fortune. They just happened to find the old sherry cask, Cask No 263 from 1926, quietly maturing away in a corner of the distillery, minding its own business and forgotten by the world. That was when the plan was hatched. Most were released in 2003 at the then whopping price of £20,000 a bottle, now looking like the best buy since the famous deal where the Dutch swapped the island of Manhattan for some far-flung, useless rock in the middle of nowhere. By the way, it is believed that a dozen of the remaining bottles were destroyed by the 2011 Japanese earthquake. Whoops.

The last issue of explore WHISKY, we reported on the record for Japanese whisky, US$312,130, for the ‘1960 Karuizawa, 52-YearOld ‘The Dragon’. They made 41 bottles of it. This price has been subsequently pipped by a 50-Year-Old Yamazaki, bringing US$343,000 (50 bottles, originally released in 2005 for US$9,000). Actually, it was pipped several times but, time of writing, this is the new record.

Despite suggestions of bubbles about to burst, it seems that great, rare, aged and limited-edition whiskies are only going to stretch the family budget even more.

A MATCHING ONE FOR BOURBONS

It is not just the prices for the top Scottish and Japanese whiskies creating new records. Bourbon and American whiskies are following suit.

Almost every serious spirit drinker will know the tale of the extraordinary rise of the cult whiskies from Pappy van Winkle, now subject to a level of demand they can’t possibly supply. Look also at the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, where many of the bourbons, ryes and whiskies top four figures a bottle, on release.

According to the Wine-Searcher site, top price for a bourbon goes to the Eagle Rare ‘Double Eagle Very Rare’ 20-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon at A$35,758. It beats the best that the Pappy can do by quite a way. It, the Old Rip Van Winkle 25-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, achieved a price of A$29,502. Next up is the Buffalo Trace Distillery O.F.C. Old Fashioned Copper Bourbon at A$14,740; then another Pappy, the Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Family Reserve 16-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon at A$8,551, followed by the first of the Michter’s on the list, the Michter’s 25-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon at A$7,674 (the Twenty-Year-Old is a snip at a mere A$4,407). Other names attracting huge money for their best include Hirsch, Black Maple Hill, W.L. Weller and Old Fitzgerald.

The Wine-Searcher site also ranks all these bourbons by score. A bit surprisingly, none of these expensive bottles top that list. The honour for the highest rated bourbon on the site goes to the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Straight Bourbon, which is listed as having the embarrassingly low tag of just A$46. So much for getting what you pay for. You might think that such brilliant value means this bourbon would also top the popularity stakes (another category on Wine-Searcher), but no. Blanton’s ‘The Original Single Barrel’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon, listed at A$114, manages that (remember prices do vary amongst the different markets). The Last Drop, Beanie Espey and Rebecca Jago

LAST DROP

Last Drop is a highly specialized spirits operation from the UK, aiming to offer some of the finest and rarest bottles on the planet. These gems are, of course, priced accordingly. It was established by two gentlemen who had enjoyed long and distinguished careers in the spirits industry and beyond, James Espey and Tom Jago. They felt that they had more to offer and hence, the Last Drop, now run by their respective daughters, Beanie and Rebecca.

They don’t start the process from scratch. Rather, they source rare and first-class spirits, usually with considerable age, and offer them to interested consumers. So far, there have been just over a dozen releases – all extremely limited and seriously expensive.

The first, released in 2009, was a 1960 Blended Scotch Whisky. It came from three casks which were surplus to original requirements, sitting ignored and unloved, until the Last Drop team arrived and bottled 1,347 gems. A search revealed that a couple of retailers around the world do still stock a bottle or two, for between $4,000 and $6,000.

There has been a trickle since then, not all whisky – 1950 Cognac (478 bottles), 50-Year-Old Blended Scotch (388 bottles), 48-Year-Old Blended Scotch (592 bottles), 1967 Glen Garioch Single Malt (118 bottles

– the price between A$8,600 and A$9,000), 1961 Dumbarton Single Grain Whisky (32 bottles, and good luck finding one), 1972 Lochside Single Grain Whisky (106 bottles), 1947 Hors d’Age Cognac (186 bottles), even a pair of Colheita Tawny Ports – 1870 and 1970 (770 sets), 1968 Glenrothes Malt (141 bottles, only 8 available in Australia, around $10,000 each), 1982 Buffalo Trace Bourbon (44 bottles).

I can offer a note on their Last Drop 1971 Blended Scotch (1,352 bottles, around $5,000 each, but sometimes more than twice that). Raisins, sultanas, glacéd fruit, amazingly fresh and vibrant, yet incredibly complex. The hallmark is its great length, which has more in common with wonderful old Rutherglen muscats. Flavours continued to explode across the palate – stonefruits, figs, orange rind, even florals. Decadence in a glass. A whisky to be sipped on bended knee.

Granted that interest in what comes next from the Last Drop is a spectator sport for most of us, but the word is to look out for a 1925 Cognac, from a barrel discovered recently. It had originally been hidden behind a wall when a group of Germans were about to make an uninvited visit back in the early 1940s. Stay tuned.

MICHTER’S BOURBONS/ TEN-YEAR-OLD

A confession. The wonderful bourbons and ryes of Michter’s only hit the radar very recently. But then they have not been on anyone’s radar for very long. This is a new and exciting producer, albeit one with ties to the very early days of American spirits.

Way back in 1753, in Pennsylvania, Shenk’s distillery made a name for itself with sour mash. It continued, under various owners, until the dark days of prohibition proved too much and the doors closed. The distillery reopened after the laws were repealed and was eventually purchased by Lou Forman in the 1950s, who changed the name to Michter’s, a combination of the names of his sons, “Mich”ael and Pe“ter”. By 1990, it was all over again. Doors shut again. Resurrection came recently when a couple of local entrepreneurs, Joseph Magliocco and Richard Newman, decided to establish their own whiskey operation. All of Michter’s trademarks had expired. No one owned the name. They swooped, but they moved operations to Kentucky, and opened two distilleries. They also broke with tradition by appointing a female master distiller, Pamela Heilmann. Pam recently handed the role over to her assistant, Dan McKee.

They make small batch or single barrel products and have established a number of very popular products, the pinnacle being their 25-Year-Old Bourbon, sadly untasted though understandably so with a price of $8,000.

Their US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon offers lovely caramel notes with hazelnut and honeycomb. Florals and a hint of vanillin oak. Reasonable length and good complexity.

The US1 Single Barrel Straight Rye (both $130) was all cinnamon and teak with orange rind, nectarines, spices and a little caramel. A supple texture, mid-length and again good complexity.

Finally, the superb Single Barrel 10-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon ($250), a much-restricted release and one shrouded in more than a little mystery. Caramel, nougat, honey, nectarines, spices, sweet corn, mustard seeds, old leather, garden herbs. Great length and complexity and a delightfully seductive texture. This is a superb bourbon. This years 10-Year-Old was the final release under Pam Heilmann’s tenure as Master Distiller.

THE CHICHIBU WHISKIES OF JAPAN

A friend of mine so loves the Japanese whiskies from Chichibu, from legendary distiller Ichiro Akuto, that he made the pilgrimage to the distillery door. He had a wonderful visit, but was disappointed to discover that there was no possibility of actually buying a bottle. Stocks are extremely low, tightly allocated and high on the bucket list of whisky lovers around the globe. Put bluntly, these whiskies are extremely hard to find.

These are, of course, not the only Japanese whiskies on the watch list. Japan is experiencing a severe shortage of quality aged material, so aficionados are chasing every bottle they can find. In Australia, your best chance of experiencing the Chichibu whiskies is probably at a fine Japanese restaurant, as literally only a handful of these bottles ever make our shores. If you see one, don’t miss your chance – they are exquisite whiskies.

Or perhaps you jumped on the Hong Kong auction by Bonham’s, in August, of rare whiskies, which included 30 of Ichiro’s rare bottles, among many treasures, including the mythical Card series.

The Card Series is an extremely rare collection of whiskies, 54 different bottlings, representing the 52 playing cards plus a couple of jokers, bottled by Ichiro from material he had rescued from the recently closed Hanyu Distillery, the family

operation where he previously worked. The whiskies were originally distilled between 1985 and 2000. Each “card” consisted of just a single barrel.

These bottles famously languished on shelves for several years after release, gathering dust – there was a period not so long ago where Japanese whisky was in the doldrums, sales stagnant (which in turn led to the current shortage as no one was looking to the future given the dismal state of the market). It is believed that this is one of only four full sets of ‘Cards’ in the world and it would be a surprise if the price for the Collection was any less than a million dollars.

THE WORLD’S MOST UNCOLLECTABLE WHISKY

The good people at Craigellachie Distillery, Speyside, have decided that their latest whisky should not be collected. Their whisky is made to be enjoyed. This may not seem overly strange until you hear of the age. This release is 51 years old.

Having rested in oak for 51 years, Craigellachie believes their whisky is priceless and should be enjoyed with friends. The crew from Explore WHISKY are pleased to be among such an inner circle, and followers of exploredrinks.com had the chance to be too. The Craigellachie 51 could be tasted at the Craigellachie pop-up bar, “A bar within a bar”, which runs from 23 – 25 October at The Duke of Clarence, an 18thcentury inspired London Tavern in Sydney. Eighty lucky whisky lovers (competition winners) could try the 51-year-old in a private tasting of Craigellachie’s 13, 17 and 23-yearold age statements before being guided to the Craigellachie 51 exclusive tasting led by Global Brand Ambassador, Georgie Bell.

Craigellachie Global Ambassador Georgie Bell says, “We wanted to do the unthinkable. We wanted to make a typically collectable Scotch whisky more accessible. We want to give as many people as we can the chance to try this incredible whisky, because how often does a whisky of this age and calibre get tasted?”

Craigellachie Malt Master, Stephanie Macleod says of Craigellachie 51, “51 years encased in oak is an extraordinary length of time. Starting life in 1962 as an aggressive beast, the whisky over five decades has developed a softer side yet still retains the distinct umami, muscular note that Craigellachie is known for.”

SULLIVANS COVE – NATURAL BOTTLING

Patrick Maguire, head distiller, and his team at Sullivans Cove, Australia’s most successful whisky distillery, are always looking for new ways to improve their products.

While most commercial whiskies are chill-filtered, Sullivans Cove has been working with unfiltered and unflocked trials. In other words, they leave as much of the good stuff – the fats and oils contributing to flavours, depth and texture – in the whisky itself. It might mean that in time, there is a small sediment, but this is not only harmless, it just might add to the overall quality.

Flocking is the process of allowing whiskies which have not been chill-filtered to settle, over a number of months at ambient temperature, in order that “the heaviest particulate can fall out of solution and be removed with a simple paper filter”. It leaves the whisky in its most natural state.

Cask strength whiskies hold the compounds in solution but dilution for bottling allows them to fall out. Even the addition of ice to your Sullivans Cove may cause a small haziness.

‘Unfiltered’ is de rigueur. ‘Unflocked’ is in its infancy, so everyone is keeping a close eye on what happens - just another reason to try these amazing Tasmanian whiskies.

ARCHIE ROSE CHOCOLATE RYE MALT WHISKY

Most Aussie spirit lovers think gin when anyone mentions Archie Rose, but they have a range of truly exciting spirits. First, there was an absolutely cracking rum. Now, we have some wonderful limitededition whiskies (with more to follow), their Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky ($149), part of their Concepts series (their rarest and most interesting releases), to be followed by their Rye Malt Whisky ($119), which will become part of their core range.

The Chocolate Rye Malt comes from a single batch of eight casks (1,148 bottles). Archie Rose Master Distiller, Dave Withers, says that the “Chocolate Rye Malt yield is really low – to put in perspective, I’m talking fifteen times lower than a typical distillers malt.” He sees it as adding “accents of cocoa, cola and coffee.” The way they speak of this component is very much on a ‘less is more’ basis, given what it imparts. In addition, they use old sherry (Apera in ‘Aussie’) casks which have been re-shaved, toasted and charred, believing they adds “notes of dried fruits and sultanas, which complement the biscuity, creamy and chocolate flavours”. While you’ll be lucky to find this whisky, their Rye Malt will be easier (they have a ballot system first up – the first batch sees 2,071 bottles available) and very much worth chasing. It has already been awarded ‘Best Australian Whisky’ at the IWSC Awards in London 2018. Personally, I loved it. A really stunning expression of Australian whisky and compelling evidence of the ever-increasing maturity of our spirits industry. Rich, supple, powerful and complex, there are notes of teak, cinnamon, cocoa, and spices with an utterly seductive texture.

COLLECTABLE WHISKIES

Whisky lovers are curious folk. Some will fight tooth and nail to get hold of rare bottles or commemorative releases and then never open them. Others see the most expensive and exclusive of them as simply a drink to be enjoyed with friends and family. To each their own.

Anyone wanting an instant collection, or plenty of superb drinking in the days ahead, could do worse than get hold of a Glenfarclas Family Cask Trunk. Yours for an estimated $230,000/£100,000. Only 60 trunks are available worldwide, though future releases are anticipated. Inside are fifty 200ml bottles of Glenfarclas malt whisky, vintage-dated, representing every year from 1954 to 2003. Toss in sets of very special crystal tumblers, nosing glasses, a water jug, slate coasters and three leather-bound books (a history; full tasting notes; and one for your own notes), and finally, a replica of a 1791 painting of the distillery, the original of which hangs in the private dining room in Ballindalloch, the oldest known painting of the distillery.

A previous trunk was released in 2007, with 43 whiskies (including the 1952 and 1953, now depleted), for a mere £6,500, which is looking pretty good buying these days.

One of the many George Grants who have led the company over its very long history – this one spent an amazing 52 years in charge – made the decision to lay down more vintage casks. Sales had declined in the 1960s, and the distillery had lost a major client for blending operations, so it was the ideal time for a producer looking to the long term.

When some of the vintage bottles were originally released, our George was so convinced that his idea would never succeed that he reportedly went on holidays, rather than attend the launch. To his surprise, almost immediately, he received a fax from his Japanese distributor, ordering 178 bottles. George was curious and rang to see if such a large order was to cover Japan for the next couple of years. His distributor informed him that it was not. It was actually an order from one bar alone. That changed his perspective.

It is possible to purchase individual bottlings, ideal for anniversaries or birth years. The 1954, for example, is currently available for A$15,000 per bottle. The 1971, which I had the chance to sample recently, is a more modest A$5,500. More recent bottlings will reflect even more modest prices. The 1971 has a dark amber/teak colour with browns and orange notes, the rim slightly lighter. The palate was powerful (different bottlings do vary, but the alcohol level seems to sit between 50 and 57 per cent – this one certainly felt as though it

was from the higher end of the spectrum), with notes of honey, raisins, spices, plum pudding, cinnamon, and a smoky honeycomb character.

These releases are from a range of bottlings – not everything went into bottle at once. So far, there have been around 400 bottlings across the vintages. For reasons they are not sure of, reputedly the most popular is 1979 – perhaps as it is seen as the lightest of the range. It has already seen around 14 bottlings.

Glenfarclas does a range of aged malts, for those looking for more regular yet equally exciting bottlings. There really is something for everyone here whether you want to invest, collect or drink well.

JW GHOST UPDATE

Our previous edition of Explore Whisky introduced many aficionados to the concept of Ghost distilleries. In the interim, these near mythical sites have become even more important to producers of great malts. You can be sure that those producers so fortunate as to have a ‘ghost distillery’ on their books will either have begun restoration or be seriously thinking of doing so. These places have quickly become legendary and any remaining material sought after by malt fans around the globe.

A ghost distillery is basically a once-working distillery, sometimes much loved and highly regarded, which, for whatever reasons, closed down.

Whisky is a different product. In most industries, any remaining stock would simply have been sold to offset costs. But great whisky takes years and in many of these old ghosts, ancient barrels continued to mature, becoming some of the most exciting whiskies on the planet. Brora and Ellen Port distilleries, two ghost distilleries which both closed in 1983, are examples and have contributed to the JW Ghost and Rare in the past. Any bottles of whisky from them bring huge prices these days.

Some of the material has been used as blending components, while some has been bottled as special, and usually very expensive, releases. The aforementioned Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare is a fine example.

So why close a distillery, given the demand, adulation and sky-high prices? It is not that long ago that the whisky industry was in the doldrums and sales were nothing like what is enjoyed today. Be under no illusions – every distillery produces whisky of a unique character and when one closes, it is lost forever. But this is a commercial business. The good news is that both Brora and Port Ellen are reopening in 2020.

The latest edition of Johnnie Walker’s ‘Ghost and Rare’ series, the third release, has focused on the now closed Highland distillery of Glenury Royal, which dates back to 1825, eventually shutting its doors in 1985. Other ghost distilleries providing material for this whisky are Cambus and Pittyvaich. Rare whiskies come from Glen Elgin, Inchgower, Glenlossie, Cameronbridge and Glenkinchie. It will be available from October this year.