At $2m (£1.45m), the Irish whiskey and Fabergé collection has become one of the world’s most expensive spirits auction lots.
Only seven of the ‘Emerald Isle Collection’ cases have been made, by the Craft Irish Whiskey Co in partnership with Fabergé.
The first case was jointly secured by two Houston-based Fabergé collectors, James and Korrine Whipkey, and a second group of investors led by Scott H. Weissman, the companies said this week.
All proceeds from the sale will go to the Correa Family Foundation, a charity set up to help children affected by cancer.
Photo credit: Craft Irish Whiskey Co / Fabergé
Jay Bradley, founder of the Craft Irish Whiskey Co, said he was thrilled with the sale.
‘Collaborating with Fabergé has been a tremendous experience and together we have created an extraordinary bespoke set that truly celebrates Ireland, its craftmanship and unique heritage,’ Bradley said.
The six remaining ‘Emerald Isle Collection’ cases will be released at auctions and events in ‘key cities’ through the rest of 2021, the firms said.
Encased in a dark walnut box, each set includes a bottle of single cask, 30-year-old single malt Irish whiskey (triple distilled), plus a ‘first of its kind’ Fabergé ‘Celtic Egg’ handmade from 18k yellow gold, and a Fabergé Altruist watch made with 18k rose gold.
The emerald inside the Fabergé Celtic egg. Photo credit: Fabergé.
The egg has a rough, uncut Gemfields Zambian emerald inside.
Among other elements of the case, buyers will also find a humidor with two rare Cohiba Siglo VI Grand Reserva (2009) cigars, described by the companies as ‘the holy grail of cigar collectibles’.
Carlos Correa, Major League Baseball star and founder of the Correa Family Foundation, said: ‘I’m very thankful to The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. and Jay Bradley to be generous enough to donate the first release of The Emerald Isle to our foundation. This is a huge contribution to the Correa Family Foundation and will change thousands of lives.’
The sale of the first case follows the Craft Irish Whiskey Co’s release of Devil’s Keep, a 29-year-old single malt, which sold for $60,000 (£46,000) at auction in November 2020.
Ian Duignan, the firm’s MD, said the latest Emerald Isle Collection sale ‘marks another milestone on our journey to become the world’s leading ultra-luxury whiskey’.
Rare whisk(e)y has been increasingly sought-after at auction in recent years.
In October 2019, a single bottle of 60-year-old ‘1926’ Macallan single malt Scotch was sold by Sotheby’s for a record-breaking £1.5m.
