New record price for a bottle of whisky - The Macallan 1926 60yo

At the end of last week, a bottle of Macallan was auctioned off at an auction held by the prestigious auction house Sotheby's. And another world price record has been set.

2.187,500 pounds (£1.75 million plus commission) was paid for his latest acquisition by the new owner of the bottle Macallan Valerio Adami Edition 1926 60yo. The amount became a new price record, beating the old one set in October 2019.

Macallan Valerio Adami Edition 1926 60yo is one of 40 bottles that were filled in 1986 during the bottling of the contents of cask No. 263, distilled and filled in 1926 at the Macallan distillery, on the banks of the River Spey, in the heart of the iconic whisky-producing region.

Of these, 12 bottles were labeled with graphics by renowned Italian artist Valerio Adami and put up for sale. A few years later, in 1993, another 12 bottles appeared, but this time the labels featured artwork by Sir Peter Blake, known as the author of m.in. the Beatles' 1967 album cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.". Two bottles were released without labels, one of which later ended up in the hands of Irish artist Michael Dillon and featured a one-of-a-kind hand-painted label. The remaining 14 bottles were included in the prestigious Macallan Fine & Rare series.

Of the entire forty unusual bottles of absolutely unique whisky, it is said that one was destroyed in one of the earthquakes in Japan. One is known to have been opened and drunk. The fate of the others is not known to the public.

However, the history of the world whisky price record is known. By a strange coincidence, for many years it has belonged not only to the Macallan brand, but to whisky from exactly the same cask. Lo and behold, in May 2018, just over 800,000 was paid. pounds per bottle Macallan 1926 60yo bearing the label by Sir Peter Blake. In the autumn of the same year, an auctioneer paid £1.2 million for this one-of-a-kind bottle Macallan 1926 60yo, decorated by hand by Michael Dillon. Less than a year later, in October 2019, the world of whisky circulated information about Another auction, during which another bottle was bought Macallan 1926 60yo and another world record was broken. At that time, a buyer paid £1.5 million for a bottle from the Macallan Fine & Rare series. The record stood until the end of last week.

We were unable to reach information regarding the rest of the whisky from the same cask. This is because it is difficult to expect that there was only enough liquid to fill 40 bottles of. Who knows, maybe we are in for some more surprises from under the Macallan banner and with the 1926 vintage on the label.

The Macallan distillery has for many years been seen as the producer of one of the most desirable luxury single malt whiskies. The distillery is located near the village of Craigellachie, on the banks of the River Spey. Built at a cost of £140 million and opened in 2017, the new distillery is an architectural landmark - the production building has been integrated harmoniously into the Spey Valley hillside, and the roof, composed of five turf-covered "hills", blends almost imperceptibly into its surroundings. One of the most state-of-the-art Scotch whisky factories operates under this remarkable ceiling, offering visitors one of the most interesting experiences of the entire Scottish distilling industry. The plant is part of the Edrington Group (along with Highland Park and Glenrothes) and boasts one of the largest production capacities in Scotland - capable of producing 15 million liters of pure alcohol per year.

Macallan offers a range of collector's editions. Many of them are part of the house of Whisky Online offers, including a whole series of archival editions. There are also more "ordinary" Macallans with us, ideal for everyday tasting. There is something for everyone - feel free to visit.


[20.11.2023 / photo: Sotheby's]