The world’s most expensive and exclusive single malt Scotch whisky vintage collection – The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Collection of 38 bottles valued at $170,000 – debut exclusively at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City in April. 

Previously unavailable by the glass anywhere in the U.S., the entire range of The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Collection – with vintage-dated malts spanning from 1926 to 1973 – will be served exclusively and in its entirety at Borgata. The collection is now being served only by the glass (that’s "by the dram" in Scottish parlance) at the hotel’s culinary landmark restaurant, Old Homestead Steak House.

This is the first time the complete collection has been offered on-premise anywhere in the world since the collection launched in the U.K. in 2002, and in the U.S. in late-2003. These limited-edition single malts will be dispatched directly to Atlantic City, New Jersey, from The Macallan’s distillery on the banks of the River Spey. Once at Borgata, one bottle of each of the 38 vintages will be displayed in a dramatic glass case at the bar of Borgata’s Old Homestead Steakhouse.

Prices for The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Collection by the glass will range from $50 to $3,500. Upon ordering a dram of one of The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintages, the customer will receive a special Spiegelau whisky snifter, a leather passport containing tasting notes for each vintage and an area for a stamp highlighting the date of consumption[1]. The customer will keep both the snifter and the passport and subsequently present the passport as additional drams are sampled from The Macallan’s unique history of liquid excellence. 

The Macallan, founded in Cragellachie on Speyside in 1824, is believed to have the deepest single malt vintage reserves in all of Scotland. In 2002, the distillery tapped its archives to create the extraordinary Fine & Rare Vintage Collection. Each whisky in the collection is drawn from a single cask of a specific year, yielding a limited number of bottles from each cask. Fine & Rare Macallan represents the greatest compilation of vintage-dated single malts ever assembled by a single distillery. It also represents the "liquid history" of The Macallan, considered by many critics to be the most collectible whisky in the world.

"These 38 bottles reflect the very best of The Macallan’s oldest stocks," said David Cox, director of Fine & Rare Macallan. "We are thrilled that the collection’s on-premise debut stateside is taking place in such a remarkable setting. This collaboration with Borgata unites a rare taste of the Old World with a dynamic and contemporary destination in the New World."

The upscale Borgata, a $1.1 billion joint venture between Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM MIRAGE, became the first new casino hotel in Atlantic City in 13 years when it opened in July, 2003.

Victor Tiffany, vice president of food and beverage for Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, noted, "Our goal at Borgata is to provide our guests with unique and memorable experiences – not only in gaming, but also in luxury, relaxation and the very finest in food and drink. The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Collection fits this perfectly."

"The Old Homestead Steak House at Borgata is the ideal venue to showcase The Macallan’s vintage collection of whiskies," said Tiffany. "Respectful of its origins as a culinary landmark, but with a breathtakingly new design, the restaurant’s stylish interior provides a stunning backdrop upon which to showcase The Macallan Fine & Rare."

Borgata features 2,002 guest rooms and suites, 11 destination restaurants, a 1,000-seat performance theater and 50,000-square-foot spa. The Macallan Fine & Rare display will be showcased at Borgata’s Old Homestead Steakhouse situated across from the main floor of the casino that includes 163 gaming tables and 3,600 slot machines.

In order to ensure that Borgata’s guests are able to maximize their opportunity to sample the Fine & Rare Vintage Collection by the dram, bartenders at Old Homestead will receive special training to help them describe the distinct vintage bottlings. Variations within the collection are broad, not only in age, but also in natural, cask-driven color, alcohol by volume, aroma and taste. And yet, the whiskies all share a kinship, distinctively The Macallan, both in spirit and in wood maturation.

A definite advantage for Borgata’s patrons is the relative durability of whisky, compared with wine. Considered remarkably stable once bottled, whisky is considered easier to store than wine (a cool cabinet or basement is fine); and, it remains shelf-stable for appreciably longer once opened (months, as opposed to hours).

Mark A. Izatt, brand manager of the single malt Scotch whisky portfolio at Remy Amerique, Inc., exclusive U.S. importer of The Macallan, believes that the stunning Fine & Rare display will attract not only Scotch aficionados, but also adventurous Borgata guests looking for something spectacular. 

"Where else can you step up to a bar and order a dram of whisky from a collection that is simply not available anywhere else on the planet?" noted Izatt. "I think the odds are excellent that The Macallan will be a big hit with Borgata’s savvy guests. Some may come seeking to sip a spirit from their birth years, others to expand their single malt horizons, or even perhaps to mark the winning number following that last spin at the roulette table. All will experience something totally unique."

The full Fine & Rare range includes vintages from:

1926, 1937*, 1938*, 1939, 1940*, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949*, 1950*, 1951, 1952*, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968*, 1969*, 1970*, 1971*, 1972*, 1973**

(*Each of these years had two exceptional casks, which have been used in two separate bottlings. **The 1973 will be released in May, 2004, and will be the 38th bottle available at Borgata.)

Individual bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Collection, in both standard 750 ml size and 50 ml miniatures (available in the U.S. in mid-2004) can be ordered directly from The Macallan distillery through fine wine and spirits shops across the U.S. For a listing of shops and for more information on The Macallan Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, visit www.themacallan.com or contact The Macallan Brand Ambassador, Caspar MacRae at 212-399-4200.
 
 

For more information on Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ, visit www.theborgata.com.

About The Macallan®

The Macallan is the world’s most precious whisky. Distilled on the Easter Elchies estate above the banks of the Spey River in the Scottish Highlands since 1824, The Macallan Single Highland Malt is produced without compromise to achieve the highest standard of quality and taste. 

The hallmarks of The Macallan are its deep and natural color (caramel is never used); flavors of citrus, dried fruits, cloves, wood and toffee; subtle sweetness and profound richness carry into the finish. The Macallan vintages from 1945 through to 1950 also have hints of peat smoke from the use of peat in the maltings at the distillery in the immediate post war years. These hallmarks are achieved through The Macallan’s exclusive use of Spanish sherry casks and Golden Promise barley. 

The Macallan range of single Highland malts in the U.S. includes: 12 Years Old, 18 Years Old, 25 Years Old, 30 Years Old, Cask Strength, 1841 Replica, 1861 Replica and Fine & Rare vintages. For more information, please visit www.themacallan.com. 

About Remy Amerique, Inc.

Remy Amerique, Inc. is a private and wholly owned subsidiary of Rémy Cointreau, S.A. France. The company is the exclusive U.S. importer for a variety of premium spirits and wines, including Remy Martin®, Cointreau®, Piper Heidsieck®, Charles Heidsieck®, Marchesi Antinori®, Masi Agricola®, Vietti Wines®, Jacopo Biondi Santi Wines®, Vina Haras de Pirque®, Damrak Gin®, The Macallan®, The Famous Grouse®, Highland Park®, Tamdhu®, Mount Gay Rums®, Gonzalez-Byass®, Galliano®, Passoa®, and others. Please savor responsibly.

About Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGG). Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it features 2,002 guest rooms and suites, 125,000 square feet of gaming, 163 gaming tables, 3,600 slot machines, 11 destination restaurants, 11 retail boutiques, a 50,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space, and parking for 7,100 cars.

About Old Homestead Steak House

Old Homestead is a classic steakhouse that has been a New York institution since 1868. Greg and Marc Sherry, who created the decadent Kobe beef burger, opened a second location of Old Homestead Steakhouse at Borgata. They are the first in three generations of their family to do so.