Which whisky lover will pay £20k for the one-off Dalmore Oculus

On the same day that Bonhams in Edinburgh sell the 3,000 bottle Willard S Folsom Collection of Old and Rare Single Malt Whiskies – the largest single-owner collection of whiskies to be auctioned – there’s another item for sale that may prove the main event.

Alongside the examples of Ardbeg, Bowmore, Dalmore, Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Springbank, Kinclaith, Killyloch, Ben Wyvis, Glen Grant, Glenmorangie, The Glenlivet, Strathmill, Mortlach and The Macallan – is a Baccarat crystal decanter bearing contents that  could see in 2010 unforgettably.

Its creator says it will ‘seduce the most discerning and sophisticated palates imaginable’ and that he is ‘confident it will appeal to epicureans, investors and collectors’.

This is tempting stuff. So what is it talking about? With a description like that, it could be the meal of a lifetime – a confection prepared by a Roux or a Fairlie. However, it may well be the dram of a lifetime.

It’s the Dalmore Oculus, a one-off never-to-be-repeated creation from whiskies spanning 140 years, to be sold on 18th November at Bonhams in Edinburgh, presented in a Baccarat crustal decanter.

Master-distiller Richard Paterson is the nose and palate behind its creation, blending rare vintage malts from 1868, 1878, 1922, 1926 and 1939 with intense oak, spice and bitter dark chocolate added with some of a pretty awesome 64-year-old blend with, as they say, ‘notes of coffee, aromatic spices and citrus zest’.

Bonhams are anticipating that the decanter-full will get the hammer at around £20,000.