The world’s most expensive shot of ‘139-year-old’ whisky that sold to a Chinese millionaire for £7,900 has been revealed as a fake made in 1972.
The world’s most expensive shot of ‘139-year-old’ whisky that sold to a Chinese millionaire for £7,900 has been revealed as a fake made in 1972.
After entering the bar with a group of people, the client expressed particular interest in the Macallans – the hotel has 47 options, ranging from seven to 10,000 Swiss francs Photo:Dailymail
Zhang Wei, who was staying at at Waldhaus Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, paid 9,999 Swiss francs for a glass of Scotch believing it had been made in 1878 by the revered producer Macallan.
It was thought to have been the only remaining unopened bottle of the celebrated vintage until Wei, a martial arts fantasy writer, ordered a measure of the precious contents in the hotel’s Devil’s Place Whisky Bar.
However, doubts soon started to emerge about the authenticity of the drink after experts noticed discrepancies in the bottle’s cork and label.
Manager Sandro Bernasconi has since refunded him after tests revealed it was a fake. Photo:Sina
The hotel, which served the two-centilitre drink in good faith believing it to be real, asked experts in Scotland to check the contents and it has now been revealed to be a fake. Manager Sandro Bernasconi flew to China to reimburse Wei after it emerged the bottle was made between 1970 and 1972 and that it was most likely a blended Scotch and not a single malt.
According to the BBC, Bernasconi said Wei was not angry and ‘thanked me very much for the hotel’s honesty.’
In August this year Bernasconi told the 20 Minuten newspaper the allegations that the drink was fake would be investigated in an attempt to determine whether they were true.
The luxury Swiss hotel said in August it would carry out tests on one of its rare bottles of whisky amid claims it wa a fake after Wei paid £7,900 for just one shot (pictured) Photo:Dailymail
The bottle had been purchased 25 years ago by his father for a five-digit sum and had been valued at 50,000 Swiss francs (£40,000).
At the time, the hotel said it would take legal action against whoever sold them the bottle if was found to be fake.
The Devil’s Place Whisky Bar has been honoured for its 2,500 bottle collection, including by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Bernasconi had earlier told 20Minuten he never expected to open this particular treasure.
The guest at Waldhaus Hotel in St. Moritz (pictured) paid 9,999 Swiss francs for a glass of Scotch believing it had been made in 1878 by the revered producer Macallan Photo:Dailymail
After entering the bar with a group of people, Wei expressed particular interest in the Macallans – the hotel has 47 options, ranging from seven to 10,000 Swiss francs.
‘I told the customer that the most expensive Macallan was not for sale’, Bernasconi was quoted as saying by the website.
Zhang Wei (centre), who was staying at at Waldhaus Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, paid 9,999 Swiss francs for a glass of Scotch believing it had been made in 1878 by the revered producer Macallan. Photo:Sandro Bernasconi
The client persisted, so Bernasconi called his father, who had run the hotel for more than two decadess and never had a client order the 1878. The elder Bernasconi told his son to go for it, even if the customer was not going to pay in advance.
‘I was nervous,’ Bernasconi was quoted as saying, explaining that he was concerned the ancient cork would disintegrate.
But everything went down smoothly, including the two-centilitre (0.66-fluid-ounce) measure, Bernasconi said.
Photo: cnbeta.com
Before it was uncorked, the bottle had been valued at 50,000 Swiss francs, a relatively modest price compared to recent record sets by whisky bottles at auction.
A special collector’s blend of Macallan’s sold at auction in Hong Kong for nearly $630,000 in 2014.
Source:Dailymail
