One of the most sought-after bottles of whiskey in the world is going up for auction. The London auction house Sotheby’s will offer the nearly century-old single malt whiskey The Macallan Adami 1926 in November, the price of which is estimated at up to 1.2 million pounds (34 million crowns). This was reported by the AP agency on Thursday morning.
This rare bottle comes from the long-standing Scottish distillery Macallan, whose whiskey is sought after by collectors around the world. Founded in 1824 by teacher and barley grower Alexander Reid, it became one of the first legally licensed distilleries in Scotland.
Since its inception, it has built up a good reputation and is now ranked among the best whiskey distilleries in the world. Sotheby’s states that Macallan owes its uniqueness mainly to ancient oak barrels, the wood of which gives the drink its distinctive color, taste and aroma.
“The Macallan 1926 is the one whiskey that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own. I’m extremely excited to bring a bottle to Sotheby’s auction for the first time since we set the record for this vintage four years ago,” Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s director of spirits, told AP.
The auctioned bottle’s sister sold for a record price
The bottle of The Macallan 1926, which will be auctioned in November, comes from the oldest vintage of this distillery. After six decades of aging in sherry casks, this batch of whiskey was bottled in 1986 with just 40 bottles. One of these bottles was sold by the same auction house in 2019 for 1.5 million pounds (42.5 million crowns), making it the most expensive bottle of wine or spirits ever sold.
“I have been lucky enough to taste some bottles from this collection and can confirm that their price is based on quality. The Macallan’s Fine & Rare whiskeys are unique and sought after by collectors for their exceptionality,” says Fowle, extolling the rare spirit.
The auction house said some of the 40 coiled bottles were offered to Macallan clients, with some adorned with the rare and iconic Macallan Fine and Rare label. This is also the record bottle sold in 2019. The label of 12 other bottles, including the one auctioned this November, was designed by the Italian painter Valerio Adami.
The auctioned bottle is the first ever to be refurbished by The Macallan prior to auction. The renovation included replacing the cork and applying new glue to the corners of the bottle labels. The auction itself will be held on November 18, but interested parties will be able to bid in the priority auction from the beginning of the month.
