Thereโs a joke somewhere here about getting your hands on enough supplies for the weekend. Perhaps even a zinger along the lines of, โThereโs top-shelf whisky, then thereโs no-shelf whisky.โ Regardless, the fact of the matter is Edinburgh-based auctioneer Lyon & Turnbull are set to sell the worldโs largest bottle of whisky: a 32-year-old single malt produced by Macallan appropriately dubbed The Intrepid. Complete with a custom label featuring 11 of historyโs most โfearless and adventurousโ explorers from Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Karen Darke MBE, Olly Hicks, Jamie Ramsay, to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (hence the name).
Certified by the Guinness World Records, Macallanโs The Intrepid has earned its title not just by sheer volume but also by total height. Standing at 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 metres) โ yes, we rounded up; donโt act like youโve never done it on Tinder โ this behemoth contains a whopping 311 litres of the 43% ABV good stuff, beating the previous record by a healthy margin of 83 litres. Thatโs the equivalent of 444 regular-sized bottles of whisky.
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But as my girlfriend always (unconvincingly) reassures me, size isnโt everything. So what exactly can you expect from The Intepridโs contents? And is it actually worth drinking?
According to Lyon & Turnbull, what we now refer to as The Intrepid is the product of sister casks #6986 and #6992, left to mature in Macallanโs Speyside warehouse for over three decades. Last year, these carefully selected hogsheads were married together by renowned bottlers Duncan Taylor, resulting in a pale gold single malt that has a gentle nose with hints of baked apple, pear, and flaked almonds; delivering a smooth and warm taste thatโs both sweet and peppery. If that doesnโt tickle your fancy, nothing will.
โIโm sure there will be significant global interest in the auction of The Intrepid, a unique collection spearheaded by the record-breaking bottling standing at an incredible 5 feet 11 inches tall,โ says Colin Fraser of Lyon & Turnbull.
โBidders will have the chance to buy a piece of Scotch whisky history. They will become the owners of an exclusive 32-year-old single malt Scotch from what is widely regarded as one of the worldโs best distilleries, The Macallan.โ
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The Intrepid โ AKA the worldโs largest bottle of whisky โ will be up for bidding on May 25th of 2022 (noon). While Lyon & Turnbull has yet to announce a pricing estimate, given how a single dram is supposedly worth ยฃ125 / $220, many believe it could also become the worldโs most expensive bottle of whisky ever sold at auction; a record that currently belongs to another bottle of Macallan which sold for $1.5 million back in 2018. For any amount the eventual sale achieves above ยฃ1.3 million / $2.27 million, 25% will be donated to the Marie Curie charity.
Those of you interested in getting ahold of this drop without the seven-figure price tag and huge fuck-off bottle will be glad to know there were some leftovers from casks #6986 and #6992. The rest found its way to a limited number of 12-bottle sets featuring smaller replicas of the big daddy. Four of said 12-bottle sets will also be auctioned by Lyon & Turnbull, while the rest will be available to purchase elsewhere.
Find out more below.
