Six decades of exceptional whisky captured in The Decades collections

When The Dalmore puts its once-in-a-lifetime selection of six exceptional single malt whiskies on the auction block this October, the Highland distillery is offering more than prestige and fancy spirits. It is sharing a taste of history, captured in amber spirit.

The Dalmore Highland Single Malt is offering The Decades No. 6 Collection as a single-lot auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on October 8. Partial proceeds from the auction will be donated to V&A Dundee as part of a four-year partnership with the art museum.

The No. 6 Collection ranges from one of the oldest liquids ever released by The Dalmore—the 1951 Royal Heritage, made two years before the Queen was crowned—to the very first scotch whisky created in the new millennium, its base spirit literally coming off the stills at 12:02 a.m. on January 1, 2000. (The other bottles in the collection are the 1967, 1979, 1980 and 1995, each exceptional in its own way.)

All six bottles were personally selected by Richard Paterson, who for 50 years has been The Dalmore’s master distiller and custodian of the distillery’s rare casks.

“Each bottle marks a very special milestone in the brand’s history and has a unique story to tell, which I hope the lucky collector will enjoy with those closest to them,” Paterson said in a press release. “If the last year has taught us anything, it is that life is to be enjoyed now. This collection is a memento of our 180-year history in the making. We are proud to share the pinnacle of six decades of whisky making, the result of potential earned and honed over time.”

Now, you might be thinking, that’s all fine for the lucky person who wins the auction, but what about the rest of us? As it turns out, The Dalmore is also offering 25 sets of the No. 4 Collection, each containing four Decades whiskies (1979, 1980, 1995, 2000) in beautifully engraved decanters, which will be made available for purchase.

Only one No. 4 set will be available in all of North America, and it will be right here in British Columbia. The collection will be sold for $200,000 through an online raffle from October 28 to 30, as part of BC Liquor Stores’ 2021 Premium Spirits Release. Meanwhile, the bottles will be on display at the 39th and Cambie location.

For info on the Sotheby’s auction of The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection, visit thedalmore.com or sothebys.com/wine.

—by Joanne Sasvari