STILL, I WOULD NOT PAY RM 2 MILLION FOR A BOTTLE OF WHISKY OR WINE OR ANY LIQUID WHICH, ONCE DRUNK, IS GONE FOREVER! DRINKING RM 2 MILLION WORTH OF WHISKY IS AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME BUT I STILL PREFER TO SPREAD THE RM 2 MILLION ON PROSTITUTES AND LOVERS---JUST THINK OF THE NUMBER OF SEX PARTNERS OVER THE DECADES FOR RM 2 MILLION!
The Macallan 6-litre decanter by Lalique which sold for RM 2 million though perhaps Lalique may also have something to do with it!
SOTHEBY’S HONG KONG FIRST WINE SALE OF 2014
FINEST AND RAREST WINES AND THE MACALLAN
ACHIEVES HK$29.4 MILLION / US$3.8 MILLION
- Surpassing High Estimate (HK$25 Million / US$3.2 Million*) -
The Macallan 6-Litre “M” Decanter – Constantine By Lalique
Sells For HK$4.9 million / US$628,205 (High Est: HK$4 million / US$500,000)
SETTING A NEW RECORD FOR
ANY SINGLE MALT WHISKY SOLD AT AUCTION
Mature Wines Lead The Way
With 1982 Bordeaux and Top Burgundies
Auction scene of Finest and Rarest Wines and The Macallan on 18 January 2014
with Robert Sleigh, Head of Wine, Sotheby’s Asia, as the auctioneer
Hong Kong, 18 January 2014 Sotheby’s Hong Kong kicked off its 2014 wine auction season with the sale of Finest and Rarest Wines and The Macallan, which concluded today at the Company’s Hong Kong Gallery with a total of HK$29.4 million / US$3.8 million – comfortably beating its HK$25 million / US$3.2 million high estimate – and a strong sell-through rate of 99.6% by lot. Almost 75% of the lots achieved prices over their high estimates. Online bidding was particularly active, with 12% of the lots sold to internet bidders and one-third of the lots receiving online bids.
The top lot, The Macallan 6-litre “M” Decanter by Lalique, fetched HK$4.9 million / US$628,205 – soaring past its HK$4 million / US$500,000 high estimate - and Set A New Auction Record For Single Malt Whisky. The previous record was achieved by Sotheby’s New York in 2010 when The Macallan 64-year-old in Lalique Cire Perdue was sold at US$460,000. Proceeds of the sale of the “M” Decanter will benefit local charities in Hong Kong.
Commenting on today’s auction, Robert Sleigh, Head of Wine of Sotheby’s Asia, said, “Today’s auction started Sotheby’s 2014 worldwide wine sales with a packed saleroom and fierce bidding. The Macallan 6-litre ‘M’ Decanter provided a spectacular centrepiece and a new world record for single malt whisky, while we saw impressive prices for 1982 Bordeaux and mature red Burgundy from top domains such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Armand Rousseau. This continued the trend from 2013 auctions - a strong market for the finest wines that are ready to enjoy now.”
Top Lot - Macallan 6-litre “M” Decanter by Lalique
The Macallan “M” Decanter is a collaboration among Fabien Baron, Founder and Creative Director of Baron & Baron, Bob Dalgarno, Whisky Maker at The Macallan, and Silvio Denz, President and CEO of Lalique. The present lot, “Constantine”, is unique as it is the only one with the autographs of the three principals. Only four Imperiale “M” Decanters were ever made by The Macallan, and this lot is the first and only one being publically offered.
Discussing today’s top lot, Robert Sleigh, Head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia said, “The Macallan ‘M’ Decanter 6-litre Imperiale brought global interest from bidders who were attracted by the combination of the unique opportunity and exceptional quality, setting a new world record for single malt whisky as well as benefiting Hong Kong charities.”
David Cox of The Macallan commented, “We are absolutely delighted at the generosity of the successful bidder of the ‘M’ 6-litre decanter ‘Constantine’ in securing such a wonderful contribution to a number of Hong Kong charities and at the same time setting a new world record for The Macallan. It is testimony to the craft, quality and passion underpinning the creation of this great decanter. It is a very proud moment for us”.
Silvio Denz of LALIQUE added, “This new world record at HK$4.9 million / US$628,205 highlights the uniqueness of the decanter and the remarkable quality of The Macallan single malt. Its creation is a tremendous achievement due to the unprecedented size, weight and completely new shape. After the Guinness World Record achieved by The Macallan in LALIQUE Cire Perdue in 2010 at Sotheby’s New York, this exceptional figure underscores the interest and value of such extraordinary decanters”.
I) About Sotheby’s Wine
Sotheby’s wine auctions in 2012 brought an overall global total of HK$503 million / US$64.5 million. Sotheby’s overall total of HK$688 million / US$88.2 million for global wine auctions in 2010 is the highest in the Company’s forty-two years of wine auctions. 2011 brought an overall global total of HK$667 million / US$85.5 million.
The Lafite Ex Cellars sale held by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in October 2010 set a new record for a single standard sized bottle at auction when a bottle of Château Lafite 1869 sold for HK$1.8 million / US$232,692. This means that Sotheby’s now holds the world records for a standard bottle, a bottle in any format - the Jeroboam of Château Mouton Rothschild 1945 which fetched HK$2.4 million / US$310,700 in February 2007 in New York – and any wine lot at auction – 50 cases of Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 which sold for HK$8.2 million / US$1,051,600 at Sotheby’s New York in 2006.
Between 2009 and October 2011 Sotheby’s Hong Kong maintained 16 consecutive 100%-sold wine auctions in Asia – the only major auction house with this record.
Upcoming Wine Auctions at Sotheby’s
22 January London
26 February London
8 March New York
19 March London
4 & 5 April Hong Kong
16 April London
14 May London
11 June London
II) For More News From Sotheby’s
Visit : http://www.sothebys.com/en/inside/services/press/overview.html
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Sotheby’s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby’s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012).
Today, Sotheby’s presents auctions in 9 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby’s BIDnow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby’s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby’s Financial Services, the world’s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby’s Diamonds and Sotheby’s Wine. Sotheby’s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).
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