A Celebration of Craftsmanship: Bowmore and Aston Martin Decanter of 52-Year Whisky Sells for Nearly $300,000
Bowmore Whisky’s ARC-52 Mokume Edition is a one-of-a-kind decanter. (Photo: Sotheby’s)
A unique decanter of scotch whisky from Bowmore sold at auction via Sotheby’s on Friday for $277,861. It was part of Bowmore’s ARC-52 collaboration series with luxury automobile maker Aston Martin. All proceeds raised were donated to support the community of Islay, Scotland.
“We are incredibly proud that this auction continues Bowmore’s highly-prized single malt status amongst collectors and whisky enthusiasts around the world, who appreciate its craftsmanship and heritage,” Daryl Haldane, a global private client director for Beam Suntory, said, according to The Drinks Business.
The AR-52 collaboration yielded 100 decanters last year, each with a suggested retail price of $75,000.
This particular expression is known as the Bowmore ARC-52 “Mokume Edition.” The whisky is composed of 52-year-old vintage whisky crafted by Beam Suntory Master Blender Ron Welsh.
The single malt is a marriage of some of Bowmore’s older vintages aged in European oak sherry and American oak hogshead casks. It was one of Welsh’s final projects at Bowmore.
“As one of my last projects for Bowmore, this one is exceptionally close to my heart and is the perfect climax to an incredibly rewarding and exciting career,” Welsh said in a news release.
The one-off decanter took its name from the Japanese metalworking technique Mokume-Gane. In this technique, metal takes on the appearance of natural wood grain.
The inspiration for this artistic choice was meant to be an homage to the back rocks of the bay of Loch Indaal, where Bowmore is located. It was also a subtle nod to the charred cask where the dram was aged.
“We imagined walking those picturesque shores, at magic light, and discovering this wonderous treasure shaped over eons of time by the elements, suddenly appearing at your feet,” Aston Martin’s executive vice president and chief creative officer, Marek Reichman said in the news release.
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