'forgotten' cask of whisky bought for £5,000 more than 30 years ago sets new world record as it sells for more than £1million at auction

daily mail ^

[algore]

The cask, originally filled on May 5 1988, had been held in bond at the Macallan Distillery in Moray for almost 34 years.

It was bought on a whim by an expat who then forgot about it for more than three decades until they were reminded by Macallan that it was still maturing in the warehouse.

Daniel Milne, co-founder and managing director of Whisky Hammer, said: 'When this cask was listed in our auction, we knew it had the potential to make history

'To come across a cask of this age, quality and size is extraordinary in itself, enhanced by the fact the liquid was distilled at The Macallan which is reflected in the global attention the cask has attracted.

'It's been incredibly exciting for everyone at Whisky Hammer to have represented what has become the most expensive cask ever to be sold at auction.'

The cask was bought by a private individual based in the US.

If bottled today, it would yield 534 x 70cl bottles of single malt whisky, distilled at The Macallan

[algore]

It has not been delivered to me yet :(

[refermech]

Elon, is that you?

[larrytown]

That's a LONG time in the cask - would be interesting to see what the alcohol percentages are. Gonna be a bit...

[Huskrrrr]

Sounds like the kind of item Johnny Depp would bid on.

[stormhill]

You could buy the whole distillery for that much $$

...or is it ££
I'm so confused!

[decal]

How much has been lost due to “the angels’ share”?

[algore]

God only knows

[Larry Lucido]

Good thing Elaine didn't see it in Peterman's office.

[logi_cal869]

$2384/bottle.

If I pissed away $100 bills like pennies, perhaps, just for bragging rights of my bar.

[gr8eman]

That’s my question. To my knowledge that’s too long to leave the whiskey in the barrel. At some point the flavors start coming apart akin to how it does with wine. I could be wrong!

[gr8eman]

70 cl is not a “bottle”. It’s 2 glasses!

[decal]

Yeah, it's like red wine - too long in a charred oak barrel and it turns into paint thinner.

I doubt this barrel will ever be opened.

[logi_cal869]

Whoops: I misread on my tiny screen. I thought it was referencing 1L bottles, which I equated to the rough size of a large cask.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Then how do the get 50 year McCallan? do they switch casks or someother storage vessel?

[decal]

Yes, they usually switch casks after three to five years.

[dfwgator]

[Trailerpark Badass]

Gotcha, thanks.

[CodeToad]

34 years is nothing to whiskey. I typically don’t drink Scotch below 25 years.

[Trailerpark Badass]

But then that begs the question, why did McCallan leave it in one? I wouldn’t imagine they forgot about it, and one would think a bonded cask would be scheduled for a speicifc maturaion period.

[o-n-money]

70 cl is 23.75 oz. It’s England’s version of our fifth.