The Macallan, a luxury whisky brand, launched its third decanter along with Lalique, the French crystal house, in Korea yesterday.

The Macallan in the Lalique Finest Cut decanter features an exceptionally rare 57-year-old single malt Scotch whisky. Ten of the total of 400 globally available bottles will be distributed in the Korean market. Each bottle costs 19 million won ($22,670).

"Choosing Korea as the first Asian country to launch the third decanter is a reflection of how important we see Korea for the future of The Macallan brand, and the more allocation of the bottles also reflects that," Martin Reimann told reporters in Seoul. He is the Shanghai-based regional managing director of Asia Pacific, India and Africa for The Edrington Group, a Scotland-based producer of Scotch whiskies.

The third "Finest Cut" decanter has been designed by the legendary French crystal house Lalique, exclusively for The Macallan. It is the third of a six-part series.

David Cox, director of Fine & Rare Whiskies for The Macallan, said in a statement: "This is the third collaboration between The Macallan and legendary crystal makers Lalique. It is a truly stunning addition to the Six Pillars decanter collection. As a reflection of the beauty of the decanter we chose to fill it with a particularly rare 57-year-old Macallan single malt whisky."

Cox then added that it is the second oldest "vintage" Macallan whisky has ever released, only surpassed in age by the legendary 1926, a 60-year-old Macallan bottled in 1986.

"The 57 year old has been vatted together from two casks - the first, a 1950 American oak sherry butt, the second a vatting of Macallan from Spanish oak sherry butts originally filled in 1949, 1951 and 1952. The result is a softly sumptuous single malt, showing off the classic dried fruits, spice and hints of peat redolent of The Macallan house style of the early 1950's," Cox said.

The decanter was designed by Lalique's Design Studio, which was inspired by the legacy of Rene Lalique to design a decanter featuring the "stilligoute" of a perfume bottle, the long piece of pure crystal flowing down to a point from the base of the bottle stopper. A portion of the stopper has been left completely clear and not "satinee," running from the top down to the point.

This clear portion represents the 16 percent "finest cut." When inserted into the elegantly tapering decanter, the stilligoutte, bathed in the rich whisky, reflects the natural colors of The Macallan through the play of light.

Silvio Denz, President and CEO of Lalique, Denz noted that each piece was worked on by up to 15 craftsmen, many of whom have attained the "Meilleur ouvrier de France" - the Finest Craftsman of France Award. Each decanter bears the esteemed "Lalique France" signature, which symbolises authenticity and over 100 years of creativity, heritage and craftsmanship.

Each comes in a beautifully designed lacquer presentation box, with a crystal stopper and a collectors' guide, detailing the craftsmanship that has gone into producing the "beautiful object d'art," the creators stressed.

The Macallan has been working with Lalique since 2005 to produce an exclusive series of limited edition decanters based on The Macallan's Six Pillars. The first two decanters in the series, Exceptional Oak Casks and Natural Colour, have proved hugely popular with both whisky consumers and collectors of Lalique crystal, the company said.

Reimann noted that the series is rare enough for collectors to consider as an investment.

"The price is reflective of its scarcity," the executive told reporters here during the launching event, noting that the third decanter is something worthy for collectors.

"The Lalique I that cost US$7,500 ($10,349) was selling for US$15,000 at an auction," he said, underscoring that such an example reflects consumers' "appreciation" for rarity.