There have been eye-watering whisky bids and endless news of the broken auction records during the sale of the luxurious drink.
However, for the longest period now, it is the Scotch whisky that has commanded the mightiest price tags during the auction.
These are bottles that you will not find at your local liquor store as they are exclusive and available in limited editions.
GOTTA.news has compiled the list of the most expensive whiskeys ever sold at auction. In this list, you will see whiskies that cost even more than a car.
They include:
1. The Macallan Red Collection – KSh 114 million
The Macallan Red Collection went up for auction at Sotheby’s in London in November 2020.
The rare set of six whiskies, which were one of their kind to be made available for sale, had a presale estimate of KSh 30 million ( $259,000).
However, bids started streaming in from all corners of the world and the highest was KSh 114 million ($975,756).
Two of the bottles from the set were 74-year-old and a 78-year-old. Proceeds from the sale were channelled to charity.
2. The Macallan Lalique Six Pillars Collection – KSh 116 million
The Macallan Lalique Legacy Collection is a set of six crystal decanters from French glassmaker Lalique.
The set contains the rarest of The Macallan’s single malts aged from 50 to 65 years old.
When the whole collection came up for auction in 2017, it surpassed expectations.
In an auction at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, the rare set was sold for KSh 116 million ($993,000).
3. The Macallan Peter Blake 1926 60 Year Old – KSh 122 million
The Macallan Peter Blake 1926 is the first whisky on this list from The Macallan’s famous cask #263.
After the sherry-seasoned cask was filled in 1926, it lay untouched in the Speyside distillery for six decades until 1986.
In 1993, when 12 bottles of the whisky were released, The Macallan teamed up with pop artist Sir Peter Blake to design the label.
As a result, in 2018 when one of the bottles of the Macallan 1926 60 Year Old came up for auction, it was sold for KSh 122 million (approximately $1.04m).
4. The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60 Year Old – KSh 125 million
The second release of 12 bottles of the Macallan 60 Year Old from that elusive cask came in 1993.
This time around, it was Italian painter Valerio Adami who designed the bottle with a label depicting a nude figure seemingly admiring the same bottle.
When the bottle came up for auction in 2020, it attracted KSh 1,642 bidders from 56 European countries.
It was sold for KSh 125 million (approximately $1.07m) making it the most expensive whisky ever sold at auction at that time.
5. The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection – KSh 144 million
The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection brings together a one-of-a-kind selection of six milestone releases —from 1951, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1995, and 2000.
The editions were chosen by The Dalmore’s legendary master distiller, Richard Paterson.
In October 2021, when the collection came up for auction at Sotheby’s in Asia, it was bought by a private collector at KSh 144 million ($1.24m)
6. Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series – KSh 177 million
The Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series comprises 54 bottles, each representing a playing card in a deck.
The Hanyu distillery was established in 1941 by Isouji Akuto, but before it ceased in 2000, Akuto’s grandson conserved 400 casks of fine whisky from the distillery.
From these casks, he hand-selected each whisky, which was then released between 2005 and 2014 to create the Full Card Series.
When the Japanese whisky came up for auction in 2020, the highest bid was KSh KSh 177 million ($1.52m).
7. The Macallan Michael Dillon 1926 60 Year Old – KSh 178 million
As one of the few remaining bottles from cask #263, the Macallan distillery hired Irish artist Michael Dillon to hand-paint it.
The unique bottle was released in 1999 depicting The Macallan Speyside estate’s cherished Easter Elchies House.
In November 2018, it was auctioned for KSh 178 million (approximately $1.53m).
8. The Macallan Fine and Rare 60 Year Old – KSh 221 million
The Macallan Fine and Rare 60 Year Old is considered the founding father of The Macallan Fine and Rare series.
In 2019, at Sotheby’s in London, it was auctioned for a record-breaking KSh 221 million ($1.9m).
9. Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s The Emerald Isle Collection – KSh 233 million
In 2021, the Craft Irish Whiskey Co went into history books after smashing all records to become the most expensive whisky sold at auction.
During the year, its Emerald Isle Collection in partnership with Fabergé sold for KSh 233 million.
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The rare 30-year-old whiskey is the oldest triple distilled Irish single malt in existence.
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