Scotch whisky collection up for auction
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Scotch whisky collection up for auction
The auction of nearly 4,000 bottles includes the largest collection of The Macallan ever to go to auction. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
Some of the world's rarest bottles of whisky will go to auction in the new year as part of what is believed to be the largest whisky collection ever offered for public sale.
The so-called Perfect Collection of more than 3,900 bottles of primarily single malt scotch whiskies was built up by private collector Richard Gooding, the former owner and president of the Pepsi Bottling Company of Denver, one of the largest soft-drink distributors in the United States.
He built his collection over the decades, traveling to and from Scotland with his pilot in search of rare bottles at auctions and distilleries, before his death in 2014.
Items include bottles from the Macallan, Bowmore and Springbank, and even some from lost distilleries including Old Orkney and Dallas Dhu.
Auction organizers Whisky Auctioneer have said some individual bottles are valued at more than 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) and there are even some that have never been seen before in auction. In October, a bottle of The Macallan 1926 sold for a record 1.5 million pounds at auction in London.
"This is truly one of a kind and a testament to his dedication to collecting Scotch whisky," said Iain McClune, founder of Whisky Auctioneer. "Its sheer scale and rarity make it one of the most exciting discoveries in the whisky world."
Until recently, the collection was housed in Gooding's "Pub", a dedicated room in his family home in Colorado that was specially designed to showcase each one of his whiskies.
"It was clear to us as a family that collecting scotch was one of Richard's greatest passions-an endeavor that spanned over two decades," said his widow Nancy. "He loved every aspect of it; from researching the many single malt distilleries to visiting them and tasting their whiskies."
The Perth-based auctioneers will sell the collection over two online auctions next year.
This library of whiskies is filled with very special bottles, each of which has been researched and examined for condition and authenticity, McClune added. "Amongst the over 3,900 bottles is the largest collection of The Macallan ever to go to auction."
Becky Paskin, whisky expert and writer, said: "It's rare a complete whisky collection of this size and value comes to auction at once, but it is the sheer diversity and comprehensiveness of Mr Gooding's collection that makes it so intriguing."
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I suppose that buying a bottle that costs that much is an investment, but then you cannot enjoy it, because if you open it, the value is gone. IMO it would be wiser to invest in a famous painting, because then at least you can enjoy the pleasure of looking at it.
Yeah, you're never going to crack open these bottles. I think for this type of collecting, you have to be into the stories and rarity behind the object.
If I can't drink it, I don't want or need it.
Hear hear! Good booze is meant to be savored and enjoyed.
Wow, and I thought this was extreme:
I couldn't open the picture - can you save it, convert it to jpeg, then paste it to a comment? As well, the link opened to tell me this: "We are currently unable to accept orders from areas outside the U.S."
Or tell me the label info on the wine and I'll search it on the internet.
It’s Macallan M
And that one is 5500 bucks; peanuts compared to some of the ones in the auction.
I do hope that Mr. Gooding wasn't mixing that stuff with Pepsi. I'm hardly a scotch drinker but even I would consider that mixture to be on the level of sacrilege.
Blasphemy - BLASphemy -- BLASPHEMY - No true Scotch drinker (one of which I are) would even consider, even as a nightmare, mixing Scotch with anything more than "air" - AKA "neat".
OMG Rock - get thee out of the house once in a while
Not even on the rocks?
I'm reminded of this classic bit :
I thought that with Scotch like that, you don't mix it with ANYTHING, even ice cubes.
I can understand not mixing it with any other beverage. But not even a couple ice cubes to give it a little chill? But not too many cubes. Maybe straight up in a shot glass.
Aaaayup.
Want to get me out of the house? Offer me Jack Daniels and I'd be out in a second, although, at my age, my monthly consumption is less than half a pint.
The reason why you don't mix either with anything, even ice, is that both bourbon and scotch have very distinctive flavors. Even chilling them with ice dulls the flavor down. The flavor of JD has a degree of smokiness to it. The charred barrel does that. To me, the flavor of scotch (any brand) is much like that of Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup.
The thing these days is to use one big honkin' cube. It chills the drink and alters the flavor, but it doesn't melt so fast that it ruins things. If all you want to do is chill it, they have stones you can freeze.
I have a mold for those. It is a big round ice cube. Suppose to last a lot longer and not water down the drink as much.
I prefer regular sized cubes. just a few will be enough to chill, but not so much it waters the drink down. If no ice, then it can be savored slowly. With a cigar too.
Call me old fashioned, but I'll stick to good 'ol regular ice cubes.
way too rich for me
I hate scotch. It is like drinking battery acid.
O- o-o-o-o-o Paula - you just ain't had the right scotch. Macallan - tastes just like water with a bit of lemon - wow.
The one time I did try it, it was 25 year old scotch and not cheap (date paid for it). It was nasty.
If someone's been feeding you Johnnie Walker Red, I feel your pain. However, there is so much variety in scotch, there's probably something out there you can enjoy.
Johnny Walker Red - or White Label -
