A Hogshead Of Macallan Rolls Under The Sotheby’s Hammer

The Macallan-Glenlivet Distillery’s Hogshead No. 4378 does not, at first blush, look like it might be bumping its lid on a high-end valuation of a half-million dollars. The exterior brush-marks of the barrel-blacking coming up over the lip of the hogshead, the bead of the lid’s caulking poking its nose out from under the the mallet scuffs as the gentlemen of the Speyside warehouse were tapping it down, it’s all quietly about process. But in another very different and lovely way, each scar of the intense hand labor and the craft required — from that of the cooper to that of the master distiller of the contents — to put together a sumptuous, well-aged distillate tells the tale: This is close to the bone. More at the source of all good labor in making fine things than this hogshead is hard to get.

And, for those whose pocketbooks allow such interests to flow where they may, speed is now of the essence: In sealed bids only, a rarity of extreme seriousness, the lot will close December 5 at 4:01 p.m. London (11 a.m.). The bids that are lodged by that hour will be adjudicated, and that’s that. Incidentally, sealed bids means sealed: No auction results will be announced after the sale deadline passes at 4:01 p.m. (11 a.m. Eastern), according to Sotheby’s.

The prospective American buyer’s takeaway? If you’re taken by the holiday spirits in this particular chase, and you’re sitting in New York, make sure that private banker of yours is properly caffeinated to issue the letter of credit to London by first light. Those eagle-eyed Londoners have been up and at it for five hours already.

What’s going to happen? There are a number of possibilities. After the sale, the successful bidder can leave the cask to age further in its native Speyside warehouse, have it re-racked elsewhere, or, in fact have it all bottled — give or take, Sotheby’s estimates the hogshead will yield 194 bottles — a here-and-now prospect that might well tempt the less patient in the cohort of possible buyers.

But in the tasting notes of James Gray, Sotheby’s own Senior Whisky Specialist there is an extraordinary evidentiary trail of the elixir inside the oak, and it gives us a view of why this 138 why it could move a collector, or consortia of them, to part with nigh-on a half-million dollars for the oak and its contents, or well north of that, should the bids get there.

Gray was on hand as a recent sample was pulled from the barrel. The color, he reported, was “light gold.”

Here’s what he wrote about this Macallan’s nose:

An initial whiff of coconut shavings opens into a bouquet of orchard fruits and gentle nutty aromas. There’s a distinct freshness which develops over time, with the fruit become more of a tinned pineapple in syrup. The aromas really improve and round out over time and this still feels incredibly lively.

“Lively” means that the whisky is still at work on its maturation. Somewhat sweet it is, but what he’s saying is that the sweetness eventually takes a back seat as the more complex muscle of the aromas kick in. Here, Gray’s notes on the real business of the whisky’s dance on the taster’s palate:

Palate: The orchard fruits are back, juicy and rich with a honeyed texture that coats the mouth and feels wonderfully chewy. Despite this, there is a distinctly fresh feeling and vibrancy throughout. Not a hint of tiredness or bitterness from 30+ years in oak.

It’s a lovely description from Gray here of the slow, molecular battle that fine whisky (or fine wine) does with oak in maturation. Sometimes, with some distillates, the oak wins. Not here. Key, then, for the taster, is the finish. Here’s how Gray puts it:

Finish: The sweetness lingers in a medium finish. A superb example of a 32 year old Macallan, full of life and with plenty left to give if further matured.

What Gray’s saying here is, if your bid succeeds at 4:01 p.m. on December 5 in London, then there’s good fight left in this whisky on a road to an athletic old age, should you care to leave it in its barrel in Scotland.