The Macallan sets record for most expensive whisky sold at £288,000

Published: 16 November, 2010

The Macallan and Lalique set a record for the most expensive whisky ever sold with the sale of its Cire Perdue whisky which sold for £288,000 at an auction in New York yesterday.

The Macallan 64-year-old in a bespoke crystal decanter made by Lalique, raised the money for charity:water in an auction at Sotheby's.

Lalique's one-of-a kind crystal decanter, created using the "cire perdue" or "lost wax" method, houses the oldest and rarest Macallan ever bottled by the distillery, a 64-year-old single malt whisky. The whisky has been on a 12-city world tour since April, and each stop along the way has raised funds and awareness for th chosen charity.

David Cox, director of fine and rare whiskies for The Macallan said: "We have had a phenomenal response to this very special and rare decanter. We are absolutely thrilled with the result of last night's auction which has smashed the world record for the most expensive whisky ever sold. It was wonderful to experience the culmination of this incredible project which has made its way around the world to raise $600,000 for charity."

The Cire Perdue decanter has visited the following cities, raising money on the road.
Sotheby's NYC - $460,000 on November 15, 2010
Beverly Hills - $16,000 on Nov. 3, 2010
Osaka - ¥1,100,000 (approximately US $13,600) on Oct. 22, 2010
Singapore - Sg $15,000 (approximately US $11,470) on Oct. 7, 2010
Shanghai - ¥101,888 (approximately US $15,200) on Sept. 24, 2010
Taipei - NT $1,300,000 (approximately US $41,000) on Sept. 9, 2010
Seoul - KRW 7,000,000 (approximately US $5,900) on Aug.11, 2010
Hong Kong - HK $135,000 (approximately US $17,300) on July 17, 2010
Moscow - R180,000 (approximately US $5,650) on May 26, 2010
London - ?6,000 (approximately US $8,880) on May 10, 2010
Paris - €3,800 (approximately US $5,000) on April 6, 2010