One-of-a-Kind Whisky Fetches Astounding $27 Million at Auction
Brimming with exquisite taste, the world's most coveted Scotch whisky fetched a staggering $27 million at a prestigious London auction Indulge in the epitome of refined spirits and witness the allure of this sought-after gem
A bottle of the highly coveted Macallan 1926, considered the world's most sought-after Scotch whisky, fetched over £2.1 million ($2.7 million) at Sothebys in London on Saturday. This rare edition, aged for 60 years in sherry casks, is one of only 40 bottles ever produced, making it the oldest vintage ever released by Macallan, as confirmed by the auction house.
Sothebys had anticipated a price range of £750,000 and £1.2 million ($934,274 and $1.4 million) for the content. However, they were astonished when the esteemed bottle sold for a staggering £2,187,500 ($2,724,967), setting a "new record for any bottle of spirit or wine sold at auction," as reported by the auction house to AFP news agency.
This bottle of The Macallan 1926, is one of 12 that were labelled by Italian painter Valerio Adami.
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Sothebys' head of whisky, Jonny Fowle, informed AFP that he had sampled a small quantity of the whisky prior to the sale. According to him, the taste was exceptionally rich, bursting with the flavors of dried fruit, spice, and wood. Fowle emphasized the extraordinary nature of this whisky and cautioned against underestimating its quality.
Out of the 40 bottles filled in 1986, none were made available for purchase. Instead, some were exclusively offered to The Macallan's top clients, which further enhances its appeal. This is supported by the previous sales of these bottles, as mentioned on Sotheby's website. In 2019, Sotheby's auctioned a bottle of The Macallan 1926, adorned with one of only 14 Fine and Rare labels, for a staggering £1.5 million ($1.9 million). This sale marked a historic moment, as it became the most expensive bottle of wine or spirit ever sold at an auction.
The Macallan 1926 bottle, adorned with a label crafted by renowned Italian painter Valerio Adami, was part of Saturday's auction. It is rumored that one of these bottles was ruined during the devastating 2011 Japanese earthquake. Additionally, this particular bottle has undergone refurbishment at The Macallan Distillery in Scotland prior to being sold.
There were 12 additional bottles that were labeled by pop artist Sir Peter Blake, with the remaining two being released without labels. Out of the unlabelled bottles, one was hand painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon and achieved the remarkable feat of selling for £1.2 million ($1.5 million) in 2018, surpassing the £1 million ($1.2 million) mark. This significant milestone was highlighted by the auction house on its website.
