The Macallan M Imperiale 6-litre Lalique decanter sold at auction in Hong Kong for $628,000 in January 2014, breaking the previous record of $460,000 held by The Macallan Lalique Cire Perdue.
 |
| Guinness World Record Breaking Macallan M Constantine |
Lalique created four of the decanters for The Macallan, each of which required the work of 17 craftsmen, including two with the prestigious title, “Meilleur Ouvrier de France”, with each taking over 50 hours to complete.
Commenting on the news, David Cox, Director of Fine & Rare whiskies at Edrington, said: “To achieve this record for a second time is an outstanding achievement for The Macallan and is testament to the appetite for such exceptional and special creations with our long standing partner, Lalique. M Imperiale is the largest decanter Lalique has ever made and the largest The Macallan has ever filled. It truly showcases the combined talents of one of the world’s great designers (Fabien Baron), the finest of crystal makers and makers of one the world’s great spirits, The Macallan.”
Two of the four specially commissioned Lalique decanters have been archived by The Macallan, and one went to a private collector in Asia. The fourth, Constantine (named, as are the other three, after Roman emperors) is the only one to feature the engraved autographs of the three principal creators – Lalique/Silvio Denz, Fabien Baron and Bob Dalgarno.
The Macallan M Constantine, was sold as part of the Finest and Rarest Wines and Whiskies auction at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, in January 2014 for $628,000. All net sale proceeds were donated to local charities in Hong Kong.
Source: The BIG Partnership