In celebration of The Macallan’s launch of TIME : SPACE, the oldest whisky in the world at 84 years, I thought that this week on Scotch Whisky Legends, I would return to my roots. One of the very first Scotch Whisky Legends articles focused on The Macallan 1938 Handwritten Label. This week, I am taking a deep dive into the often-overlooked Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee, released in 1977 by Christopher & Co.
Looking into the history, tasting notes from WhiskyFun’s Serge Valentin, and auction prices – here is all you need to know about The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co.
The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co.
As previously discussed on The Whiskey Wash, The Macallan has no shortage of bottlings that honor the British Royal Family. From The Macallan Coronation to the Diamond Jubilee, and all the way back to the marriage of Charles and Diana, the distillery has long produced luxury whisky that echoes the prestige of the monarchy.
This particular bottle, The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee, was bottled in 1977 by Christopher & Co., under license from The Macallan Distillery. The occasion was the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who came to the throne in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI.
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The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co. contains 25 year old single malt from Macallan distilled (at the latest) by 1952. Interestingly, it was also bottled as a magnum (1.5 liters), making it all the more desirable. The whisky clocks in at 45.5% ABV.
This magnum is arguably the rarest of all of Macallan’s Royal whiskies – there were never any release numbers confirmed, but the bottle has remained extremely elusive on the secondary market.
Despite having held a Royal Warrant since 1902, Christopher & Co. ceased trading in the 1980s. However, its close relationship with distilleries such as The Macallan and The Glenlivet is still seen today in legacy bottlings such as this one.
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So, now that we have the history down, let’s see what Serge Valentin had to say about this whisky magnum.
Serge Valentin’s Tasting Notes On The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co.
“A fantastic magnum that was issued in 1977 to celebrate Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee. This baby was, most obviously, distilled in the early 1950s.
“Colour: amber/bronze.
“Nose: same style as the 1958, with again these fino-ish notes, walnuts, leather, tobacco, humidor… It’s rather less expressive than the 1958 but there’s also more menthol and eucalyptus, so maybe the casks were a little more active. Hard to say… Also touches of old ham, almonds, even ideas of yellow curry… So yeah, the complexity is pretty immense.
“Mouth: oh yes, this one is incomparably more on menthol than the 1958 and it seems that there’s much more peat as well. It’s even quite medicinal and sort of Taliskerish. Some tar, cough lozenges, angelica, chartreuse, even a little aniseed, maybe wormwood, marzipan, crystallised oranges… This time we’re having a big whisky but it’s true that it was bottled at 45.5% vs. 43. Brilliant even if no whisky lover who would have never tried some old Macallan would tell you this can be, well, Macallan.
“Finish: long this time, with some pine sap, eucalyptus drops, After Eights, mint, fir honeydew… In fact, it’s quite resinous. A little old wood in the aftertaste.
“Comments: a big one, not just because it was a magnum (hahaha, S.!) Amazing whisky, I say no more. SGP:573 – 93 points.” – Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com, March 2013
Auction Prices (or a lack thereof…)
According to my database, The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co. magnum has only been sold at auction 16 times. The current auction record is £8,600, achieved at Whisky Auctioneer in 2019. None have seen the hammer fall since December 2023, when prices were hovering around £7,500-£8,200.
The Dual Appeal Of The Macallan x Royal Family Bottlings
Now, I am sure I am right in saying that not many of us have £8,000 to drop on a bottle of whisky with the intention of drinking it. The fact that Serge was able to sample this whisky (and, indeed, many of the whiskies he tries) is an incredible feat. However, no matter how high the whisky’s score is, that is not why the majority of people are buying these bottles (when they are available). Instead, they are mostly for collecting and investing purposes.
Firstly, for collectors, we must consider the dual appeal of The Macallan x Royal Family bottlings. The Macallan is considered the pinnacle of luxury scotch whisky, and the Royal Family is considered the height of grace and aristocracy both in the UK and beyond. As such, whenever these two worlds collide, the appeal to both luxury whisky fans and Royal family fans is great. Add this to the apparent rarity of the bottle and you have a significant driving force for growth.
This brings us, neatly, to the investors. Again, The Macallan 25 Year Old Silver Jubilee Christopher & Co. has only sold at auction 16 times according to available records of online auction sales. As the bottle was released in 1977, it is almost impossible to know what it was selling for at auction back then.
The oldest result I can see was achieved in 2007 when the bottle sold for £1,630. Using the auction record of £8,600 we can see an incredible growth of 427% over 12 years. Of course, those who purchased the bottle back in 1977 will have seen an even bigger return on investment.
The Whisky Market Now
We are currently in a market dip. As Mark pondered in his article about The Macallan’s 200th anniversary, this dip has caused nerves about the state of the whisky market and its ability to recover. However, we do expect the market to bounce back. The Whisky Loch of the 1980s and the subsequent premiumization of single malt scotch taught us that the market is resilient.
So, the market is down, yes. But it is not all doom and gloom. The lower auction prices for many high-end bottles mean that it is very much a buyer’s market at the moment (as long as you buy the right bottles). To find out more about whisky bottle investment read Mark’s article ‘The Macallan Is 200, But Is The Whisky Market Done?’, and all of the free resources on the Mark Littler website.
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