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The Macallan Partner With Le Clos At Dubai DXB
THE MACALLAN UNVEILS BOUTIQUE PROGRAMME AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL (DXB) WITH LE CLOS; ONE YEAR ON FROM THE OPENING OF ITS £140M SPEYSIDE DISTILLERY AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE
The Macallan, (the most valuable single malt in the world), today announces its Boutique programme with the opening of The Macallan Boutique at the world’s busiest international airport, DXB, in partnership with Le Clos. This is a part of a multi-million pound investment that will see The Macallan stores open in select key cities and airports across the globe.
Starting with the opening of the new retail experience at DXB in partnership with Le Clos – the award winning fine wine and spirit retailer – The Macallan Boutiques will bring the heritage and prestige of the brand to life. The Boutique concept draws heavily from the beauty of The Macallan Estate. It uses architecture, aesthetics and materials, and immersive features, that are distinct to the new £140m state of the art distillery and visitor experience, opened in 2018.
Attention to detail and luxury are central to the overall design. There is a stunning, signature oak lattice centrepiece in each space, providing a direct and highly visual connection to the innovative roof of the brand’s home in Speyside, Scotland. The extraordinary spaces are designed to give a sense of familiarity to everyone who visits – from single malt aficionados to those exploring the world of The Macallan for the first time.
Suzy Smith, Managing Director , Edrington Global Travel Retail, said: “It has been a year since we opened the doors of our new distillery and visitor experience, which was one of the most exciting moments in our history as a brand. The next chapter in our story is the launch of our Boutique programme, which will bring whisky-lovers across the world even closer to our home on Speyside. Each store will be a gateway to the world of The Macallan, from the stunning cinematography of the Easter Elchies estate to the exceptional whisky available to taste.
“As we continue to roll out these Boutiques globally, we hope more people are able to catch a glimpse into the home of the world’s most valuable single malt. Partnering with Le Clos to open the first new outlet will allow us to deliver a true luxury shopping experience for travellers in our product offering and through exceptional service.”
Visitors to The Macallan Boutique are invited to discover the luxury world of The Macallan through a prestige experience that is both memorable and shareable. The Macallan brand stories shot in stunning cinematography will be showcased alongside virtual reality content that explores the history behind The Macallan Estate.
Andrew Day, Group CEO of MMI, said: “Le Clos and The Macallan have enjoyed a record-breaking partnership for over a decade and we are incredibly proud to be honoured with opening the first new Global Travel Retail Boutique for The Macallan here in DXB.
“This Boutique will bring together two exceptional brands in the world of luxury spirits creating an unrivalled and immersive customer experience. Following our successful partnership with The Macallan that spans over a decade, this new Boutique symbolises the heights we can reach with a shared vision and combined commitment to delivering the ultimate customer experience and we look forward to joining The Macallan on this exciting next stage of the journey.”
The Macallan Boutique in Dubai will offer a stunning, carefully curated range of rare and exclusive whiskies, some of which will be exclusive to Boutiques. Highlights of the prestige collection include rare bottlings from the Masters of Photography, Golden Age of Travel and Exceptional Single Cask ranges. A strong pipeline of new product innovations and Boutique exclusives will ensure The Macallan Boutique offers an engaging and ever-changing range of whiskies.
The Macallan Boutiques will be opening at a number of major international hub airports throughout 2019, starting with Terminal 3 at DXB.
Le Clos Breaks Whisky World Record
With $1.2m Sale of The Macallan 1926
Dubai Airport based retailer Le Clos sets world record for most expensive whisky bottles ever sold at US$1.2m
Two extremely rare bottles of The Macallan 1926, with labels commissioned by artists Sir Peter Blake and Valerio Adami, bought by private collector
Bottles originally retailed for £20k, and the last known individual bottle sold in 2007 for US$75,000
(Dubai, UAE) 25 April 2018: Two extremely rare bottles of The Macallan 1926 have today set the world record for the most expensive whisky bottles ever sold after they changed hands for US$1.2m. The pair are labelled with original artworks by renowned artists Sir Peter Blake and Valerio Adami. The bottles were sold by Le Clos, the Dubai-Airport based luxury spirits retailer, to an international businessman for his private collection. Each bottle was sold for US$600,000.
These two bottles are two of the most unique bottles of whisky ever produced. The whisky itself is The Macallan 1926, which was distilled in 1926 then aged 60 years in sherry-seasoned oak barrels before being bottled and released in 1986. Of the 40 bottles produced, just 12 were given to British artist Sir Peter Blake, famed for co-creating the Beatles’ album cover for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and 12 were given to the Italian artist Valerio Adami, (released in 1993) one of the most acclaimed pop artists of the 21st century. Each artist created a bespoke label for the bottles, making them highly sought after by art-lovers and whisky collectors alike. The rare bottles are presented in cabinets, or tantaluses, and are based on the ‘brass and glass’ distillery spirit safe designs.
Each bottle originally retailed at £20k, and the last known individual bottle sold in 2007 at Christie’s for US$75,000.
The sale at Le Clos sets a new benchmark for private sales and completes another chapter in The Macallan’s history as a collector’s whisky – the distillery also currently holds the record for most expensive whisky bottle sold at auction with The Macallan M Imperiale achieving US$628,000 at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2014.
Le Clos’ relationships and expertise within the luxury spirits market to source such rare and highly collectible products enabled the record-breaking sale to take place, building on several previous world-record sales in travel retail. Dubai Airport is the world’s new travel crossroads, and the partnership has made Macallan accessible to collectors around the globe.
Iain Delaney, Managing Director Le Clos, commented: “Le Clos has built a long-standing relationship with both The Macallan and Dubai Airports and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate our 10year anniversary with another world-record sale. This success is testament to the commitment of our partners who have supported the vision of Le Clos in becoming one of the world’s leading luxury retailers, not just in Dubai Airport but globally.
The desire to deliver world-class retailing excellence is engrained in our DNA as is our reputation for exploring the world to source unique fine wines and luxury spirits that are both accessible as they are different and bring them to the one of the world’s great cross roads.
It’s these attributes; the passion and ability to source some of the rarest bottles in the world, coupled with our world-class retailing credentials that have created the trust in the global market for private retail sales of this magnitude to take place.”
Geoff Kirk, Director of Prestige, The Macallan, said: “These represent some of the most exclusive bottles ever produced making this an iconic sale that will be remembered worldwide for years to come. It is incredibly rare for The Macallan 1926 to be made available for purchase, and the sale offers whisky connoisseurs the chance to secure historic bottles emblematic of 20th century pop culture. The Macallan is renowned for its outstanding quality and this sale demonstrates the brand standing as a leading figure in the whisky industry worldwide.”
“At Dubai International, we are focused on working with great partners who are committed to elevating the travel experience. One element of that experience is Le Clos’ unique product range, combined with the personal knowledge and service their team members offer. We are delighted that this industry record-breaking sale has taken place at our airport,” said Eugene Barry, Dubai Airports’ EVP Commercial.
Le Clos is owned and operated by Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), headquartered in Dubai with a vision to becoming one of the world’s leading independent beverage distributors in emerging markets.
