Record-breaking Sale: Bottle of Scotch Whisky Sells for $2.7 Million
LONDON — A bottle of Scotch whisky billed as “the most sought-after” in the world has been sold for almost 2.2 million pounds ($2.7 million), setting a new auction record for a bottle of wine or spirits.
The Macallan Adami 1926 was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London, following intense competition between bidders on the phone and in person.
Only 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were bottled in 1986 after being aged in sherry casks for 60 years. Notably, twelve of the bottles, including the one sold on Saturday, featured labels designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami.
An additional bottle from the same cask was sold by Sotheby’s in 2019 for almost 1.5 million pounds, setting a record for wine or spirits at that time.
Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s global head of spirits, commented, “The Macallan 1926 is the one whisky that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own,” highlighting the immense popularity of this spirit.
It’s worth noting that the bottle sold on Saturday is the first to have undergone reconditioning by the distillery ahead of the auction. This process included replacing the cork and applying fresh glue to the corners of the bottle labels.
The final price of 2,187,500 pounds ($2,714,250) includes a buyer’s premium charge on top of the sale price of 1.75 million pounds. This price vastly surpassed the pre-sale estimate of 750,000 pounds to 1.2 million pounds.
So, what exactly does a $2.7 million whisky taste like? Kirsteen Campbell, Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker, described it as having notes of “rich dark fruits, black cherry compote alongside sticky dates, followed by intense sweet antique oak.” She continued, “Dark chocolate, treacle, ginger … the notes go on and on. It was a very special moment to experience 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.”
