There’s the official news from Macallan, on a very good cause:
On September 9 in Taipei, a 10 cl dram of the oldest and rarest expression of The Macallan Scotch Whisky ever bottled by the distillery – a 64 years old single malt – raised the highest amount ever auctioned for ten centiliters of whisky; 1,300,000 Taiwan New Dollars (approximately 41,028 USD). The auction benefitted the non-profit organization charity: water, which has funded over 2,900 water projects in 17 countries, bringing clean and safe drinking water to over a million people in developing nations. Since April 2010, The Macallan and Lalique have raised approximately $83,730 to benefit charity: water through the sale of 10cl tastes in six cities around the globe. An additional $5,000 was raised by a campaign inspired by the global tour started by Mark Gillespie of WhiskyCast, helping to increase the total amount raised to $88,730.
The amount raised in Taipei would be equivalent to an estimated $615,000 had an entire 1.5 liter decanter of The Macallan 64 year old liquid been purchased in increments of at $41,000 per 10 cl taste.
Taipei – NT$1,300,000 (approximately $41,000) on September 9, 2010
Seoul –KRW 7,000,000 (approximately $5,900.00) on August 11, 2010
Hong Kong – HK$135,000 (approximately $17,300.00) on July 17, 2010
Moscow – R180,000 (approximately $5,650.00) on May 26, 2010
London – ₤6,000 (approximately $8,880.00) on May 10, 2010
Paris – €3,800 (approximately $5,000.00) on April 6, 2010
The amount raised thus far from all six auctions will fund more than seventeen specific, long-term, sustainable projects, serving more than 5,000 people with clean, safe drinking water.
The global fundraising expedition for charity: water involves a very special, one-of-a-kind Lalique decanter – made using the ancient cire perdue or “lost wax” method – that houses the 64 years old whisky in honor of the 150th Anniversary of Rene Lalique’s birth.
The Macallan 64 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky in Lalique: Cire Perdue decanter will complete a “tour du monde” in 2010 with stops in 12 cities where 10 cl drams from very limited reserves of the rare liquid are auctioned for charity: water (Paris, Madrid, London, Moscow, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka and Beverly Hills). The expedition will culminate in November 2010 at Sotheby’s in NYC, when the decanter itself – filled with the 64 year old Macallan – is auctioned. Past works for Lalique that utilize the intricate Cire Perdue method have elicited high sales in auctions. In 2009, the Lalique Cire Perdue vase known as the “Duex Cigales” had a pre-sale estimate of between £100,000 and £150,000, which was exceeded by the final all-in price of £187,500 (approximately $300,000).
For additional information, photos, and video visit: www.charitywater.org/themacallan