Michael Wong "MW35" 35yo Single Cask Glenlivet launch (Tasted #309)

We've written about Dragon 8 Auctions a few times recently, though usually about the auctions themselves or the incredible bottles they've featured. In 6 short months they've certainly established their whisky credentials here in Hong Kong.

Not one to rest on their laurels though, Dragon 8 have recently released their own whisky, in collaboration with HK actor/singer/pilot/celebrity Michael Wong. Not just any whisky, mind you - a 35yo single cask Glenlivet, well and truly from the days when the distillery was still using Golden Promise barley.

Bottled at 49.8% ABV, it spent its life maturing in a single sherry hogshead, and comes presented in an engraved decanter along with two engraved Glencairn glasses, all secured in an impressive display case and limited to 228 bottles.

..which is all very nice, but what I wanted to know was - what was the whisky like?

Luckily Steph and I were able to answer that question recently, when Dragon 8 and Michael Wong held a launch party at Gaia Ristorante in Sheung Wan.

Never one to do things by halves, Dragon 8 ensured the party was every bit a "party", with magnums of Champagne, excellent food, a band, a few tunes belted out by Michael, and even a trio of Brazilian dancers to ensure guests continued to party well into the night.

...and of course there was plenty of the "MW35" to go around:

35yo Single Cask "MW35" The Glenlivet (49.8% ABV, 35yo, 1 of 228 bottles, Speyside, Scotland, $24,888HKD)

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Colour: Dark copper brown.

Nose: On first nosing there's no doubt this is every bit a sherried dram. Fruitcake, raisins, sherry-soaked prunes, it's all there. There's a hint of sulphur, but it's very minor and doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all. It's also, however, floral, fruity, with some hints of vegetation. The sort of unique combination of notes that usually only come with an extremely long time in oak.

Palate: Clean sherry - no discernible sulphur. Creamy, fruity (raisins, sultanas, cherries) with hints of caramel chews. It's drying, but not in a bad way, and whilst there's a slight tannic mouthfeel, it works well. The oak is there, but only to let you know that it spent a good 35 years getting to know this whisky (it doesn't dominate the whisky). It opens up nicely with a few drops of water too, with the sherry fruity notes exploding onto the palate.

Finish: Long and slightly tannic, with a lingering rich fruity sherry mouthfeel that makes you want to go back for a second dram and sit on it longer the second time (which we did...)

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A nice, clean, lovely-drinking sherried whisky - a whisky that strikes the balance between being able to be appreciated by whisky fans, whilst also being enjoyed by whisky novices (there were plenty of both on the night). The rarity obviously makes it a special occasion dram, but for those occasions its well up to the task.

Update: A previous version of this article mentioned that this whisky was bottled by Signatory, information we took from the mock-up bottles at their Gamma auction in June (see last photo), and from this YouTube video. We have since been informed by Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co. Ltd. that they were not involved in either the bottling or cask acquisition, or any other part of the final product (which is why their name is not present on the final decanters - only the early mock-ups). We apologise for any misinformation.

Cheers,
Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions Fine & Rare "Gamma" Wine / Whisky Auction wrap-up (June 2016)

Dragon 8 Auctions held their second ("Gamma") auction for 2016 last weekend, following their February whisky auction which we covered here. Held again at Grand Hyatt's Pool House, the auction this time included both fine and rare wine and whisky, with each making up around half of the lots.

There are several whisky auctions in Hong Kong and we can't get around to all of them, but Dragon 8's are ones we're always happy to cover. Sure the catering is fantastic (this time around there were Magnums of Champagne, a beautiful old Rioja and a selection of whiskies including The Macallan Rare Cask Black and Highland Park Sigurd, last time there was this 1938 Macallan), but it's more than the catering - Dragon 8's auctions are actually very enjoyable to watch, whether you're buying, selling, or considering either.

Again led by jovial founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz, the auction kicked off with the wine lots (which included some incredible wines, most of which we missed sadly) before moving onto the whisky - with Gil encouraging us to go and grab ourselves a dram and pair it with whatever we wanted from the buffet - "sushi, tomato, dessert, whatever!"

There are no "ordinary" lots at Dragon 8 Auctions, and this one was no exception, with several whiskies over 50 years old, two over 60 years old, several pages of vintage Macallan 18s and a whole section dedicated to The Macallan "Fine & Rare" series. Not to mention Silver Seal indies, a Bowmore Bicentenary 1964, a smattering of Hanyus and Karuizawas and the incredible new Macallan 65yo in Lalique, which we tasted recently.

To save you the suspense on that Macallan 65yo, despite only being released last month and retailing at $280,000HKD / $35,000USD, it sold for a whopping $480,000HKD (almost $62k USD)! One to watch, clearly.

Bidding in general was strong, with all but a few lots selling. Interestingly the Silver Seal indies didn't seem too popular, with a few being passed in, but other indies seemed to fair well, with a 62yo Glenlivet (1952 G&M "Private Collection") selling for $65,000HKD, and a 55yo Macallan (1950 G&M "Speymalt") selling for $26,000HKD (both prices pre-buyer's premium).

Other results included (all prices pre-buyer's premium):

• 1964 Bowmore Bicentenary - $24,000HKD
• 1954 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $40,000HKD
• 1971 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $18,000HKD (sold to Gil himself!)
• 1937 Macallan Fine & Rare 32yo - $190,000HKD
• 1948 Macallan Fine & Rare 53yo - $170,000HKD
• Hanyu Ichiro's Malt "The Joker" (colour) - $14,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1975 Vintage Single Cask - $32,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1971 Vintage Single Cask - $42,000HKD

There was clearly a trend for the older (by vintage) whiskies to be more popular, with strong bidding on the older Macallan 18s and Karuizawas (often between two bidders), but not as strong bidding on the younger vintages, with a few of the late-1980s and early 1990s Macallan 18s being passed-in. Still, every Hanyu and Karuizawa sold, either at or (in some cases) well above their estimate, indicating that whilst we might not be seeing the crazy prices of mid 2015, these are still highly sought-after whiskies. 

The auction also served as a prelude to an upcoming collaboration between Dragon 8 Auctions and famous Hong Kong actor Michael Wong - in the forum of a 35yo single cask The Glenlivet. We'll keep you posted about this one (hopefully along with some tasting notes) shortly.

Dragon 8 are firmly establishing themselves in the Hong Kong whisky auction market as the auction house to watch in our opinion, for both the variety and rarity of lots they present, and entertaining way in which they do so. We can't wait to see what future auctions bring.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #265: 1938 The Macallan (Macallan-Glenlivet) 31yo

Following the 1959 Macallan 18yo tasted recently at the Dragon8 Hong Kong auction comes this much older (in both senses of the word) 1938 Macallan-Glenlivet 31yo - a pre-WW2 Macallan!

Being distilled in 1938 and bottled in 1969 by Gordon & Macphail (also for the Italian market) makes this whisky positively geriatric - distilled 78 years ago! Not the earliest whisky we've tried here (having tried a mid-1930s White Horse last year at Singapore's Auld Alliance), but certainly the earliest bottle of single malt.

Last time we saw this bottle at auction it sold for just over $2,000USD (approx $16k HKD), but it's fair to say it would probably command more than that today, especially in Macallan-crazy Hong Kong. Just look at the 1950 Fine & Rare we saw sell for $170k recently at auction and this 42yo Macallan bottled in 1969, for almost £10,000 (approx $110,000k).

Now sure this is an indie bottling (like the aforementioned 42yo), and not one of the famous "Fine and Rare" series, but regardless, what an experience!

1938 The Macallan 31yo - A Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (43% ABV, 31yo, bottled by Gordon & Macphail for the Italian market, Highlands, Scotland, try your luck at auction)

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Colour: Copper

Nose: Smooth, light. Plenty of sherry influence, but with fruitier undertones than you usually expect from Macallan - cranberries, lots of strawberries.

Palate: Light. Quite a bit lighter than the colour would usually suggest. There's a citrusy fizziness, some strong peach characteristics, a hint of mocha orange and some toffee. On the whole though it feels just a little thin, which suggests there might be a little oxidation happening. It's not off-putting and we've tasted more heavily oxidised bottles, but it suggests this bottle is, to a small degree, a shadow of its former self.

Finish: Shortish, soft and smooth. Inoffensive, pleasant and delicious, with lingering peach and toffee notes, although as with the palate, it seems like the finish may have been better when this bottle was younger. 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. An incredible experience and an enjoyable whisky, but we can't help but wonder how it would have been as a fresh bottle. To be fair though, to make it to 78 years old and still have this much character is an impressive feat (we should be so lucky)!

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #264: 1959 The Macallan 18yo (#101drams)

At the recent Dragon8 Hong Kong auction a few weeks ago, I mentioned that we were treated to some incredible old drams, including Bowmores, Highland Parks, and of course, Macallans.

...and when I say rare, I mean r-a-r-e. Like this little selection:

When the youngest bottle is a Macallan 18 from 1985, you know you're in for a treat...

I was lucky enough to try two of these, and I'll kick off the tasting notes with the younger of the two - a 1959 The Macallan 18yo, bottled by Campbell, Hope & King of Elgin, and imported by Flli Rinaldi, Bologna for the Italian market. Being 1959 distilled spirit bottled 18 years later also happens to put it squarely into the #101drams category - allowing me to tick off #98 "A Scotch bottled in the 1970s". Winner - it's time I started ticking off a few more.

But hold up...this was the "younger" whisky? Well yes, the other was a 1938 31yo The Macallan - tasting notes up next!

Now sure, old Macs come up at auction somewhat often (always accompanied by lofty price tags), and occasionally you see an old bottle pop up for sale (like this 1976 Macallan 18yo, which was recently available but sold out in a matter of days), but how often do you actually get a chance to try these rarities? For the vast majority of us, it's probably fair to say "not every often".

So in summary - a rare treat indeed. But how did this spirit, distilled 57 years ago and bottled 39 years ago, hold up?

1959 The Macallan 18yo Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (80˚ Proof aka 46% ABV, 18yo, bottled by Campbell, Hope & King, Highlands, Scotland, try your luck at auction)

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Colour: Dark, dark copper.

Nose: Quintessential sherry. Toffee, burnt orange, a nuttiness. There's also some cola lollies, and a hint of furniture polish. Makes you want to dive right in...but you don't. You wait, you enjoy the nose longer, longer. This liquid's been waiting 57 years...you can wait a few more minutes.

Palate: OK, can't wait anymore. Zesty - lots more of that burnt orange. A slight hint of smoke. More citrus - not bitter, but getting there (in a good way). Plenty of toffee, hints of mocha, more orange (whole oranges now), and some more nuttiness. Glacé fruits, walnuts, it's all here, and it's all delicious. So far, pleasingly, no signs whatsoever of oxidation or "old bottle effect" either.

Finish: Long (LONG), a little more smoke. More citrus (orange zest this time), some leather, a little bitterness, and somewhat surprisingly, some butter menthols.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 95/100. Honestly a stunning dram. If this is how "Old Macs" are, then I wish I was a whisky drinker back then (or at least, I wish I had the foresight to stock up when whiskies like these were within the realms of affordability!)


Cheers,
Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions "Fine & Rare" Whisky Auction wrap-up

Although never our intention when we started this site roughly 3 and a half years ago, we've recently started covering the whisky auction scene a little - first with Bonhams' August 2015 Hong Kong whisky auction, and more recently with their January 2016 auction (not to mention the odd update on UK auctions via our Facebook page). 

The former saw some incredibly high prices (especially for anything Japanese), whilst the latter saw prices for many lots cooling off a little (while the ultra, ultra rare bottlings still brought in lofty bids).

We were keen then to see how Dragon 8's inaugural Hong Kong Whisky auction would fair, held yesterday at the Grand Hyatt's stunning Pool House (also the venue for 2014's Highland Park "Freya" launch).

The format and approach taken by Dragon 8 was noticeably different to that of Bonham's (in our opinion, for the better). For a start, Dragon 8 clearly took a "quality over quantity" approach, with a smaller, but more focused high end selection of lots (approx 160 in total). Whisky auctions usually have one or two "highlight" lots, whereas this auction had several - four separate whole casks (The Macallan, Dalmore, Highland Park and Bowmore), an entire vertical of The Macallan 18yo from 1954 to 1985, The Macallan Lalique V 62yo, the 70yo 1940 Glenlivet "Generations" from Gordon & Macphail (AND the 75yo 1939 Mortlach under the same label), not to mention a several bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare series.

Hanyu and Karuizawa also featured, but Scotch (especially Macallan) was the star. There were even a few interesting non-whisky lots, including a 58yo Long Pond rum, and a  30L bottle (Melchisedech) of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne.

The other point of difference was the set up of the live auction - held in the more intimate surroundings of the Grand Hyatt Pool House, all guests were treated to a buffet lunch with a selection of Champagne, wine and truly fantastic drams on offer (including a few incredibly Rare Macallans, one dating back to 1938. We'll have tasting notes on that one up shortly). Dragon 8 founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz conducted the auction, and was vastly more entertaining than any other whisky auctioneer we've seen too.

So....how were the results? In summary, positive and realistic. There wasn't a huge amount of frenzied bidding, but almost every lot sold (unlike previous auctions in HK and UK where we've seen several lots passed in), and, as evidence that Dragon 8 had read the market well, most lots sold within, or very close to their estimate range.

The Macallan "Fine & Rare" bottlings performed very strongly, proving the demand for rare and aged Macallans is definitely still there. as did Springbanks, Bowmores, and the G&M "Generations" decanters to name a few.

Specific results of note were as follows (amounts exclude premiums):

• 75yo Mortlach 1939 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 70yo The Glenlivet 1940 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 27yo The Macallan bottled by Silver Seal (in a 2.75L decanter): $110,000HKD
• The Macallan Peter Blake Decades set: $70,000HKD
• 1986 cask of Dalmore: $1,000,000HKD
• 1988 cask of Highland Park: $900,000HKD
• The Macallan Lalique V 62yo: $260,000HKD
• Highland Park 40yo (Original Bottling): $18,000HKD
• Glenfiddich 50yo First Edition (bottled 1991): $140,000HKD 

Strong bids against realistic estimates.

One thing we would have liked to see done differently (though it's a minor point), is splitting up of some of the multi-bottle lots. There were a few lots we would have bidded on if they were single bottles (like Longmorn 83 and a few Macallan 18s), but the 6 bottle lot prices were more than we were happy to part with. Still, it's a testament to the seller (and Dragon 8's) savvy that they were easily snapped up.

Dragon 8 plan to hold several wine and whisky auctions throughout the year, and we're already looking forward to the next one.

Cheers,
Martin.