Emirates Palace purchases rare whiskies

[L-R] Havana Bar's Sacha Touissant, Spinney's Mike Glen, Emirates Palace's Stefan Fuchs and Frederik Van Den Borre and Spinney's Mike Bailey.

Spinneys Liquor, Abu Dhabi has confirmed the sale of two rare Lalique bottles of Macallan single malt whisky to Emirates Palace.

The 55- and a 57-year-old whiskies were presented to the five-star property in the UAE capital last week.

The total value of the sale was not revealed, but head of Spinney’s Liquor, Mike Glen said he was “delighted to have finalised the partnership between two such prestigious organisations”.

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“The Macallan single malt has been sold consistently at auction for record-breaking prices and The Emirates Palace has gained a reputation as one of the most luxurious and iconic properties in the world. The collaboration of these companies is a truly exciting experience for all those involved," he asserted.

Glen added that the sale was demonstrative of a “clear and current demand for luxury goods” in the market.

“Of course there has been a significant shift in consumption habits in recent times, but this shows that there is still great confidence in the luxury segment.”

Commenting on the auctioning of a 64-year-old Lalique Cire Perdue, scheduled to take place in New York later this year, Glen revealed that the rare single malt could well see interest from Middle East buyers.

“There will be only one bottle of the 64 year old Lalique Cire Perdue made available; it will be auctioned in New York in November and the price is widely expected to exceed US $75,000,” he commented.

“There is already a huge amount of interest in the bottle due to its incredible rarity, but yes, we have had some genuine interest in this expression within the region.”

Emirates Palace has been working with Spinney's Liquor to devise a programme of Macallan single malt whisky activity across the property, with special plans on the cards for the Havana Bar — which is set to introduce the UAE’s first Macallan Room, after the Eid holiday.

Commenting on the plans, bar manager Sacha Toussaint explained: “We have a private room in Havana Bar, and this will be redecorated and transformed into a Macallan-themed room, to open after Ramadan.

“The Lalique bottles will be displayed in there, along with single malts from different years.”

Toussaint added that he saw increasing numbers of guests coming in with “a keen interest in quality whisky”.

“Havana Bar does currently conduct tastings of single malt whisky upon guest requests, but the dedicated room will provide the perfect environment for us to hold such sessions,” he said.