A bottle of Scotch whiskey said to be “the most coveted” in the world has sold for almost £2.2 million ($2.7 million).
November 18, 2023, 11:17 am ET
• 2 min reading
LONDON – A bottle of Scotch whiskey considered “the most coveted” in the world sold for nearly 2.2 million pounds ($2.7 million) on Saturday, an auction record for a bottle of wine or spirits.
The Macallan Adami was sold at Sotheby’s in London in 1926, after a bidding war between potential buyers on the telephone and in the room.
Only 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were bottled in 1986 after aging in sherry casks for 60 years. Twelve of the bottles, including those sold Saturday, bore labels designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami.
Another bottle from the same cask was sold by Sotheby’s in 2019 for almost £1.5 million, which until Saturday was a record for any wine or spirits.
“Macallan 1926 is the one whiskey that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own,” said Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s.
He said the record-breaking sales were “nothing short of significant for the entire whiskey industry.” ”
The bottle sold on Saturday is the first to be processed by the distillery before the auction. This included replacing the cork and applying new glue to the corners of the bottle labels.
The final price of 2,187,500 pounds ($2,714,250) includes a fee known as a buyer’s premium in addition to the selling price of 1.75 million pounds. The price significantly exceeded the pre-sale estimate of £750,000 to £1.2 million.
So what does $2.7 million worth of whiskey look like? Macallan’s master whiskey maker Kirsteen Campbell, who sniffed the drink during preparation, said it contained notes of “rich dark fruit, black cherry compote alongside sticky dates, followed by intense, sweet, antique oak”.
“Dark chocolate, treacle, ginger… the notes just keep going,” she said. “It was a very special moment to witness the opening of this iconic 60 Years Old Single Malt, first bottled 37 years ago, and I hope the new custodian will enjoy the same privilege.”