World’s First Rare Whisky NFT To Be Auctioned by Bonham’s
Bonham’s first ever Whisky NFT for auction expected to set a new world record price for a 72 year old Glen Grant Whisky on May 20, 2022
In a world-first for the rare whisky market, a single bottle of Gordon & MacPhail’s Glen Grant 72 year old whisky is to be auctioned alongside a single one-off NFT artwork and its original which commemorates Hong Kong in the year 1948, when the whisky was first laid down in its cask.
The artwork was commissioned from celebrated South China Morning Post artist Harry Harrison, whose controversial sketches over the years have captured the unique essence of Hong Kong. It also marks the first time Harrison’s work has been minted as an NFT.
“The May auction is shaping up to be one of the most spectacular auctions of 2022,” said Daniel Lam, Director of Fine and Rare Wines and Whisky at Bonham’s. “Headlining the sale will be two very special Japanese whiskies, the Yamakazi 50 and 55, which are must haves for any serious collector, and this Holy Grail of Scottish Single Malts, the Glen Grant 1948 which recently won “Best Cask in the World” in the 2022 Whisky Bible”.
Bottle numer 88 of only 290 of bottles of this remarkable 72 year old whisky set a world record price when auctioned a year ago by Bonham’s. “This time, with a world-first NFT artwork attached, we think it likely that the previous record for a single bottle of the rare Glen Grant 72 year old single malt will be exceeded and could even reach HK$1m,” he added.
Gordon & MacPhail’s Glen Grant 72yr old is one of the greatest and most historically significant whiskies ever produced. For serious drinkers, connoisseurs or investors looking for the Holy Grail of beautifully aged rare whisky, securing a bottle for their collection is a must.
The NFT minted alongside one of these exceedingly rare bottles is the first project of Meta Malts, a newly formed Hong Kong company which plans to take the premium whisky market into “the metaverse” and create a Hong Kong-based crypto exchange for trading in rare whisky tokens.
“Our aim ultimately is to bring the realm of investment in fine and rare whisky to a much wider audience through tokenisation, allowing many more whisky enthusiasts to own a share of the world’s rarest malts” said Nicholas Breton, Founder of Meta Malts and CEO of Premier Whisky who masterminded the production of the 72 year old rare whisky
Recorded in the Top#5 Oldest Whiskies globally, this remarkable 1948 cask was named the World’s Finest Single Cask and “Scottish Single Malt Whisky of the Year – 2022”.
Presented in a beautiful hand-cut crystal decanter, the finished product is a Premier Whisky masterpiece. A total of 200 bottles sold before the whisky ever hit the shelves, which is a good indicator of massive demand. Market expectations are that prices may reach more than GBP100,000 per bottle once the final allocation is diminished and this is traded in the secondary market.
“We knew from day one that we had picked a great whisky. Leading the team of experts choosing the cask, Charles MacLean could not have been more fulsome in its praise, so we are especially grateful to our friends at Gordon & MacPhail, the expert creators and custodians of this special cask all these years. It only remained for us to give it the Premier Whisky star treatment commensurate with its quality and prestige—and of course, its inherent value,” says Bob McNab, Managing Director of Premier Whisky.
About Premier Whisky
Premier Whisky is the world record-breaking whisky production specialist acclaimed for creating 2022’s Scottish Single Malt Whisky of the Year and Single Cask of the Year – the stunning Gordon & MacPhail 72 year old.
In 2021, PW offerings dominated the Hong Kong whisky market, headlining two major auctions, achieving two world record sales, and trading $4,885,000 of whisky at Bonhams.
Headquartered in the Central District of Hong Kong and with long-established relationships with the industry in Scotland, Premier Whisky is one of the world’s top production specialists, founders of modernday whisky investment in Asia and global pioneers of ‘en primeur’ single malt releases.
About Gordon & MacPhail
Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is a highly respected independent family-owned and managed bottler and distiller that four generations of the Urquhart family have successfully run.
With their expertise passed down through the years, together with an intimate knowledge of the whisky trade as well as distilling itself, they are believed to have amassed, and to be the custodians of, what is reputed to be the most extensive and expensive collection of rare aged single malt casks in Scotland–and indeed, the world–-a truly liquid museum of whisky.
Gordon & MacPhail are currently the world record holders for releasing the oldest single malt whisky in existence – a 1940 Glenlivet bottled at 80 years old. It was recently sold at Sotheby’s in late 2021 for a price of HKD1,500,000 (GBP150,000) per bottle.
About Glen Grant
Founded in 1840 by the Grant brothers, John and James, in Rothes, Speyside, Glen Grant whiskies are world-renowned and considered some of the finest whiskies to be found today.
Premier Whisky’s – Gordon & MacPhail 72 year old is the oldest Glen Grant whisky ever released to be released to the market. It also broke the world record for the most expensive Glen Grant whisky ever sold at auction, where it fetched HKD421,000 at Bonhams HK in 2021.