- A complete set of The Macallan Anniversary Malts – the only known one of its kind – has surfaced on the market via a private seller.
- The Macallan Anniversary Malts are a vintage-dated, 25-year-old single malt offering from the storied distillery first released back in 1983.
- The entire 19-bottle collection is priced at $227,251 and is available via whisky broker Mark Littler.
Rarity can sometimes feel like a manufactured concept in the world of whisky collecting, with distilleries releasing a near-constant stream of “special” editions and uncommon age-marked bottles. But every now and then, something genuinely precious comes up for sale.
Recently listed for sale by whisky broker Mark Littler is a complete collection of The Macallan Anniversary Malts – a 19-bottle array of the storied distiller’s hard-to-come-by 25-year-old expressions that were first released back in 1983. This encompasses both vintage and non-vintage editions of the coveted spirit, including 1957, 1958, 1958/59, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1975.
Littler was approached by the owner of the impressive set, 72-year-old Italian collector Danielle Smeyers, who first became interested in The Macallan after a trip to Scotland in the 1990s. Three decades and a whole lot of purchasing later, she’s now decided it’s time to find a new custodian for the coveted bottles.
“I didn’t set out to build a complete set, I just fell in love with Macallan and that first Anniversary Malt epitomised their whisky for me,” Smeyers explained to the Daily Record. “Then one bottle led to another, and it quietly became a very enjoyable mission.”
She continued: “Now the collection is complete, there is a sense of satisfaction, and it feels like the right moment to let it move on to someone else who will appreciate it. Building this collection has taught me a lot, both about whisky and patience.
Littler, who has more than a decade and a half of experience as a whisky and luxury goods consultant, was shocked when Smeyers revealed her collection, revealing, “In my entire career, and after handling hundreds of thousands of bottles, I have never seen a complete set of Macallan Anniversary Malts appear for sale.”
“This is the only full set I am aware of anywhere in the world.”
“What makes this collection exceptional is not just completeness, but condition. Every bottle has excellent fill levels into the neck and its original presentation. To replicate this set today would likely take at least three to five years, but with all the bottles in such incredible condition, it’s debatable whether it could be recreated at all.”
The entire collection is now available for purchase through Littler’s site with a price tag of $227,251.
