macallan 1851 inspiration

[zhi]

hi everyone,

i recently saw a bottle of macallan 1851 inspiration. it has NAS, and is bottled at 41.3%. it is not a limited edition as far as the bottle labelling shows.

the store promo says that it is an addition to the macallan range. i dont have a clue how long ago this was. but i was told that it had been sitting in the display cabinet for sometime now.

i was wondering if this whisky is of any collecting value or is it a good whisky.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

"Macallan 1851 Inspiration, is normally only available in Taiwan."

from http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/news1.html

Greetings
kallaskander

PS But there are other bottlings around that were not especially for Taiwan.

"Macallan 1851 Inspiration
[70cl] $240.00
Macallan 1851 Inspiration

The Macallan ‘1851 Inspiration’, a rare look at what Whisky tasted like 150 years ago. Crafted by The Macallan Whisky Maker Bob Dalgarno to have the smooth, signature Macallan character.
Antique Gold in colour. Wonderful mix of fruits, floral and sweet malted barley aroma. Balanced with light ginger spices, nutty and vanilla toffee. The taste is smooth, malty sweetness with mixed spices of ginger and cloves. Luxurious, sweet and malty, medium long aftertaste."

Had to copy this from the cache of my browser, the link did no longer work

Here more comprehensive information in ths pdf document http://www.mwsoa.org.au/Feints%20&%20Foreshots%207.pdf

[Iain]

"The Macallan ‘1851 Inspiration’, a rare look at what Whisky tasted like 150 years ago"

Is that one of the Mac "replicas" that's based on a fake bottle they bought in Italy?

[SpiritofShetland]

Yup.

They're not replicating the fakes any longer, just getting inspired by them...

[bamber]

[Iain]

"The Macallan ‘1851 Inspiration’, a rare look at what Whisky tasted like 150 years ago"

I'm maybe missing the point here, but how do Mac know what a Mac tasted like in 1851? Is this an example of "misleading" advertising? The whisky has nothing to do with 1851 - it's just another no-age Mac, surely?

For folks who have tried it - any comments on whether it's worth the money, or comparisons with other whiskies in that price bracket?

[irishwhiskeychaser]

"The Macallan ‘1851 Inspiration’, a rare look at what Whisky tasted like 150 years ago"

I'm maybe missing the point here, but how do Mac know what a Mac tasted like in 1851? Is this an example of "misleading" advertising? The whisky has nothing to do with 1851 - it's just another no-age Mac, surely?

For folks who have tried it - any comments on whether it's worth the money, or comparisons with other whiskies in that price bracket?

They based it on a bottle from 1851 that they bought for a lot a lot o' money at auction. It was only after sampling, making a copy, marketing it and shipping it all over the world that they realised it was a fake At the end of the day it still is a macallan whisky and probably a good one but whether it is worth it I do not know. May even become a collectors item in years to come but I have no authority to talk about that really.

[zhi]

"Macallan 1851 Inspiration
[70cl] $240.00
Macallan 1851 Inspiration

this bottle was retailing for $150 AUS. i guess it is a bit of a bargain then. but the fact that it is not of limited edition is probably going to make me hold onto my money this time.

thanks for all the information everyone has posted.

[Admiral]

The 1851 Inspiration is available in several outlets through Australia, but if my friend has seen it for $150, he should buy it, because I've seen much, much higher price tags on it.

The point made by several above is correct....

Macallan put out their replica series, only to find well and truly after the event that their source bottlings were fakes.

Since they no longer could hang their hat on the "replica" mantle, they elected to coin it "inspiration" instead.

So...the above is all to do with what's outside the bottle. I guess the most important thing is what's inside the bottle?

THe answer is....not much. I've tried it, as well as the original replica bottlings, and whilst they're pleasant enough whiskies, they certainly ain't worth the extra $$ from a tasting point of view. By all means, pay the extra if you want it for its collectability, but the whisky inside is nothing exceptional.

Cheers,
Admiral

[zhi]

The 1851 Inspiration is available in several outlets through Australia, but if my friend has seen it for $150, he should buy it, because I've seen much, much higher price tags on it.

The point made by several above is correct....

Macallan put out their replica series, only to find well and truly after the event that their source bottlings were fakes.

Since they no longer could hang their hat on the "replica" mantle, they elected to coin it "inspiration" instead.

So...the above is all to do with what's outside the bottle. I guess the most important thing is what's inside the bottle?

THe answer is....not much. I've tried it, as well as the original replica bottlings, and whilst they're pleasant enough whiskies, they certainly ain't worth the extra $$ from a tasting point of view. By all means, pay the extra if you want it for its collectability, but the whisky inside is nothing exceptional.

Cheers,
Admiral

thank you for your advice admiral. you have managed to change my mind. i have already asked my friend in canberra to get the bottle for me. i found the bottle by accident at a vintage cellars store in the nations capital while paying my friend a visit two weeks ago.

[Deactivated Member]

I spoke directly to Macallan about this one quite some time ago.
They explained that it was to be a "standard offering" for Asia and NOT one of the "Replicas", hence the "Inspiration" naming as opposed to "Replica".

I guess many collectors feel it is one they should have alongside their "Replicas" and many of the earlier offerings were sold for ridiculous amounts on various auction venues. The best current price does seem to be from TWE.

WH

[Iain]

Many of the "vintage" 19th century Macs fetched a small fortune a few years back, but presumably are worth very little since the fakery scandal broke.

A sobering reminder that in the world of whisky, as in anything else, the value of your investment can go down as well as up...