22 Jan THE MOST EXPENSIVE WHISKEY EVER SOLD
Sometimes it’s not the item itself but the accessories that come with it that make something truly special. Such is the case with The Emerald Isle set from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. While the triple-distilled, 30-year-old Irish single malt whiskey is remarkable, it’s not what recently led an American collector to pay $2.8 million for one of the seven sets in existence. Instead, it’s the other items inside the custom walnut wooden cabinet that serves as its case.
CRAFTING THE EMERALD ISLE By Master Of Whiskey, Jay Bradley
The Emerald Isle is one of those magical stories that almost didn’t happen. One that could have been unheard, untasted; a story lost in time. It was a day like any other; I was in the warehouse, tasting my casks. I do this regularly so I can track what each needs; whether it needs to be moved to another location, disgorged into a different type of barrel to add a specific layer of flavour, or is ready to be pulled. It’s rare that a Whiskey Master will taste a cask that’s absolutely perfect and doesn’t require any further crafting.
But not this day. I tasted a small, 40l Pedro Ximénez, just half filled with liquid. It was the smallest barrel we had and it was perfect. We’re talking off the chart, perfect. I had it pulled from the cask immediately. It’s what we’d call a ‘honey cask’; an ultra-rare, impeccable whiskey. It doesn’t happen often but I was lost for words, and took a walk along the beach to gather my thoughts and plan out the next steps.
We’d been planning to release a whiskey in collaboration with Fabergé. It was to have a small egg pendant, but the moment I tasted this liquid, I knew it had to be more. We had to shoot for the stars. I knew this liquid had the potential to become the most expensive whiskey on earth; it’s the rarest triple distilled single malt, and it tastes perfect so I knew we could auction it to raise a lot of money for charity. A small pendant was no longer enough for a whiskey of this calibre, so we started working with Fabergé on the world’s first Celtic Egg to accompany the world’s finest whiskey.
A few years later, I was speaking with a friend who asked what I’d been doing on the day I tasted The Emerald Isle for that magical first time. I thought about it, and it struck me that I’d visited my father’s grave for the first time. I’d raised a glass of The Devil’s Keep as thanks for watching over me from afar and then gone down to taste the barrels and found The Emerald Isle. And the rest is history!
Those include the world’s first Fabergé Celtic Egg, a Fabergé watch, a carafe of Irish spring water, pure obsidian whiskey stones, two Finn glasses, a 24k gold water pipette, a Tasting Log, a hip flask of Emerald Isle, and a gold-plated cigar cutter for the two Cohiba Gran Reserva VI cigars inside the hidden humidor
MATURATION
Matured in 200l American bourbon barrels for the first fill, The Emerald Isle was finished in rare 40l Pedro Ximenez sherry casks that bring unparalleled rich and powerful notes. Three decades of maturation have imbued the whiskey with an unrivalled and unforgettable intensity of flavour.
THE CELTIC EGG
Each of the rare whiskeys of The Emerald Isle Collection is accompanied by a bespoke Fabergé Celtic Egg, handcrafted by fourth-generation Fabergé Workmaster, Dr Marcus Mohr. Skilfully handcrafted from 18k yellow gold, each of the seven eggs took over 100 hours of work and features Fabergé’s legendary guilloché vitreous enamel in a pastel green.
Crafted to honour Ireland, the green, white and gold colours of the egg call to mind the Irish flag, while each is adorned with a pavé Celtic knot. Set with 104 brilliant-cut diamonds, the knot is a renowned symbol of Irish heritage and has no start or finish, representing eternity, love and friendship. In true Fabergé spirit, a surprise awaits in the form of a rough, uncut emerald, sourced from Gemfields’ Kagem mine in Zambia.
THE ONE-OF-ONE TIMEPIECE
Inspired by one of the ‘Seven of Wonders of Ireland’, each unique dial has been crafted by Fabergé’s Workmaster, André Martinez. Encased in rose gold, with rose gold crowns and upper and lower sapphire crystals, the timepieces contain a self-winding automatic movement and a precious and rare 22k gold oscillating weight, decorated in the Fabergé style. As functional as they are exquisite, the watches are 41mm in diameter and water- resistant to 30-metres. Each is numbered 1/1 to highlight the unique design, and finished with a brown alligator strap and rose gold buckle; the epitome of Swiss watchmaking.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: Deep, rich treacle
Nose: Butter toffee and chocolate fudge are followed by a rich maple syrup. Hints of brine and tobacco come to the fore after time.
Palate: A powerful combination of old leather-bound books with a hint of tobacco smoke. Silky smooth, with some cherry drop notes interwoven with ripe banana and caramel. The back palate gives way to Christmas cake spices that flow flawlessly into the finish.
Finish: A wonderfully long and decadent finale with hints of creamy meringue and vanilla cigar smoke that slip into a lingering finish of spice and sweetened leather.
CURATED BY OZZIE SMALL
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