Spirits marketplace Metacask has announced the auction of a Macallan 1988 Cask. Cask number #4178, a 35-year-old Butt, is “valued at over $3 million dollars,” according to the company.
Currently, the cask holds approximately 495 bottles of whisky with its last regauge putting the ABV at 51.2%. But while 35-year-old Macallan most likely tastes pretty darn good, Metacask believes it could sit in the bottle for at least another 15 years to hit the desirable 50 year mark (though there will be significantly less Scotch in the cask come that time).
Described as understated and delicate, the whisky offers top notes of dried fruits and nuts with a faint cereal base. The pale amber liquid starts lightly sweet, with considerable spice in the long, and a warming finish.
Metacask partnered with Italian visual effects artist and director, Ruben Frosali (RubenFro), to create a 1/1 animation representing the Year of the Dragon, the Chinese zodiac in 1988 to be issued to the buyer. The buyer will own the Macallan 1988 cask and the commissioned artwork by RubenFro, along with the audio-visual NFT of the original digital art.
“Metacask auctioned a 1991 cask ‘The Angel’s Share’ in 2021, now just over a year later, we’re back with another much-anticipated auction,” said Nim Siriwardana, Co-Founder and CTO of Metacask. “It’s been amazing to team up with Ruben Frosali and bring to life a uniquely curated piece of art that completely represents this rare and valuable cask.”
The auction will run from February 12th – 19th on Metacask’s marketplace. Cryptocurrency is not a prerequisite to bid – the bidding will be in USD and settlements be in the form of bank transfers or cryptocurrency. This will be Metacask’s second auction of a cask distilled at The Macallan Distillery, after the platform’s first online auction resulted in the sale of a 1991 cask for $2,327,563 in October 2021.
For more details on the auction, check out Metacask’s marketplace.