OUTSTANDING SALES RESULT FOR UNIQUE DALMORE OCULUS

Bespoke bottling created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of whisky auction sales is snapped up after bidding war

The unique Dalmore Oculus, one of the most precious whiskies to ever appear at auction, was sold today (18 November 2009) for a staggering £27,600 ($46,379), at the whisky sale at Bonhams in Edinburgh. The highest price ever paid for a bottle of Dalmore at auction.
The lucky bidder, who is remaining anonymous, is now the proud owner of a one of a kind whisky, assembled from some of the most exceptional whiskies of the past 140 years. 
The Dalmore Oculus featured as one of the 583 lots in this international sale, which was held to mark the 20th anniversary of whisky sales.
Speaking after the sale, Martin Green, whisky specialist at Bonhams said: “There was a fantastic atmosphere in the sale room today and the auction has far exceeded our expectations.  The Dalmore Oculus reached a fantastic sale price, especially in view of the current economic climate.”
Commenting on the sale of The Dalmore Oculus, Richard Patterson, master distiller at Whyte and Mackay said:  “The Dalmore Oculus is a truly exceptional expression and we knew demand would be incredibly high today.  The sale price reflects the quality and uniqueness of the whisky and the bidder has most certainly invested in something truly magnificent that they can treasure.”
This particular unique expression of the Dalmore Oculus was created by master-distiller Richard Paterson, drawing on some four decades of experience. With his intimate knowledge of the stocks, Richard Paterson fused an incomparable and brilliant assemblage, beginning with a rich spicy and orange zest core from cask 1781 (distilled in 1951), trace elements of the taste and smell of dried fruits, ripe bananas, treacle toffee and almonds from an original fifty year old are added to develop complexity.
Alongside these elements, rare malts selected from vintages distilled in 1868, 1878, 1922, 1926 and 1939 add a depth of flavour. Finally, to intensify the whisky, an incredibly intense oak, spice and bitter dark chocolate long matured distillate from cask 1782 is added to the mix alongside the whisky’s ‘capstone’: a judicious amount of the revered 64 year old, proffering notes of coffee, aromatic spices and citrus zest.