Macallan Distillery was granted a legal distilling license in 1824 under the ownership of Alexander Reid. Almost 200 years later, Macallan is considered the pinnacle of luxury single-malt scotch whisky. It makes sense, then, that Macallan would like to commemorate its official year of founding, celebrating everything that has come since. Enter the Macallan 1824 Collection Decanters.
The Macallan 1824 Collection Decanters
Created to pay homage to the year 1824, these Macallan decanters were released initially as travel retail exclusives. There were three releases in the series: the MMIX (2009), MMXI (2011), MMXII (2012). The first decanter in the collection – 2009 – was unveiled in October of the same year at Changi Airport in Singapore.
The decanters are filled with vattings of some of Macallan’s finest sherried whiskies. In each release, only 1,824 decanters were created. Each comes presented in a lacquered box complete with a stopper.
Flying Under The Radar?
There is no doubt that these decanters are beautifully presented: handblown crystal, a beige, suede interior, a quality stopper, and a sleek presentation case. As such, it is easy to look at these limited releases and wonder: have they been undervalued?
Today, Macallan has unparalleled public perception as a luxury brand. This means that the distillery can release no-age-statement (NAS), non-vintage whiskies and charge high prices for them. The demand for their bottlings inflates the price of their releases.
In turn, the subsequent demand at auction from those who weren’t successful in one of Macallan’s infamous ballots inflates the prices further on the secondary market. Let’s take a look at the Macallan Distil Your World bottlings as an example.
Macallan Distil Your World
The Macallan Distil Your World Mexico
The modern iterations of the Macallan Distil Your World bottlings began with the London Edition in October 2020. The whiskies are NAS and non-vintage. They are presented in beautiful packaging, often in collaboration with artists from around the world.
Upon release, the Macallan Distil Your World London Edition has a suggested RRP of around £3,400. Today, the bottle sells at auction for around £5,000-£6,000, and peaked at £15,000 in December 2021.
More recently, Macallan released the Distil Your World Mexico, which is currently achieving between £6,500-£8,500 at auction.
Back to the Macallan 1824 Collection Decanters…
Whilst we will never truly know how the Macallan 1824 Collection Decanters would have performed on the secondary market if they were released post-Macallan’s 2018 rebrand, the Macallan Distil Your World bottlings go to show how well-thought-out and presented packaging can go such a long way.
These beautiful decanters certainly have a luxury feel, but they were released – somewhat sporadically – prior to the public’s perception shift where Macallan was concerned.
Imagine if these decanters were released today. The stunning, luxurious packaging combined with Macallan’s market dominance would almost certainly mean that these bottlings would see a huge value increase on the secondary market.
Instead, you can own one of these decanters for a fraction of the price of other NAS, non-vintage Macallan such as the Distil Your Worlds.
Over To You, Macallan Collectors…
The prices of these bottles today offer a unique opportunity to Macallan collectors. These bottles can be bought relatively affordably at auction and retail. This means that Macallan collectors have the chance to purchase a luxuriously packaged whisky that looks far more expensive than it is, perhaps as a centrepiece to a Macallan collection.
Whilst we cannot promise any price rises for the 1824 Decanters in future, what we can say is that if they were released today you would almost certainly be paying a lot more.
Buy The Macallan 1824 Collection Decanter MMIX
The Macallan 1824 Collection Decanter MMIX is the first release in the limited collection. We currently have a bottle for sale on our shop, complete with all original packaging and in fantastic condition.
If you are interested in purchasing the decanter you can do so here. Or call the team on 01260 218 718 if you have any questions prior to purchase.
