Coles giving away $1m bottle of whiskey with Vintage Cellars rewards

It sounds too good to be true but Coles has managed to get its hands on an extremely rare item worth a huge $1 million, and it could be yours.

Coles will give one lucky customer this amazing prize. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Imagine being the owner of a $1 million bottle of whiskey. I mean, what would you even do with it — would you even want to drink it?

Or better yet, you could sell it and buy property or pay off your mortgage.

While it may sound too good to be true, Coles is in fact giving one (very) lucky customer the chance to win a 55-year-old bottle of Yamazaki whiskey.

The supermarket giant managed to get its hands on the very expensive bottle, which is so rare there’s 100 in the entire world and just four in Australia.

It comes as Coles celebrates a massive expansion of its customer rewards program.

Following customer research, it was discovered members wanted immediate rewards on all purchases as well as access to exclusive drinks-related content and events.

As such, from March 2, the Vintage Cellars Wine Club will be known as the VC Club and members will be rewarded for their loyalty with immediate benefits such as special, member-only offers across spirits and beer as well as wine.

Coles is giving one very lucky shopper the chance to win a bottle of Yamazaki 55-year-old whisky. There’s only four bottles in Australia.

So, how do you get your hands on this pricey whiskey?

Every member of the VC Club who makes a purchase of at least $100 between March 2 and April 26, will go into a draw to be the sole owner of ultra-rare Yamazaki bottle.

In 2020, a single bottle of the Japanese whiskey went for HK$6,200,000 — that’s A$1,075,000 — at an auction in Hong Kong.

It is made from a precise blend of malts that have matured for more than 55 years in mizunara oak casks.

Vintage Cellars business category manager Ed Scully said the revamped VC Club reflected the

evolution of its customer offer since 1951, when the first store opened in Gawler Place, Adelaide with a range of top-quality wines.

Ed Scully, Vintage Cellars business category manager holding the rare bottle, which sold for more than $1 million in Hong Kong in 2020. Picture: Supplied

“Since its beginnings as a single independent bottle shop to now having 86 stores across Australia, Vintage Cellars has become synonymous not just with quality wines but also with spirits and beers,” he said.

“As part of the Coles Liquor Group since the 1980s, we have been careful to maintain and nurture that independent spirit by offering top-quality drinks from local producers to suit the tastes of local customers.

Ed said while wine will always be a hugely important part of its offering, Australian drinking trends have evolved in line with the emergence of exceptional craft beers, boutique spirits, and premium global products, such as Japanese whisky.

“I’m thrilled that we now have a loyalty program that rewards all of our customers, whether they are wine lovers, spirit drinkers, craft beer lovers or a blend of all three,” he added.

Customers must be signed-up members of The VC Club and make a purchase of more than $100 to go into the draw to win the 55-year-old whiskey.

The winner will be announced after the end of the 8-week long competition, which ends on April 26.