Macallan 60-year-old sets a new record at auction at $1.1 million

Whiskey
barrels at the Macallan Distillery.
flickr/schlaeger

• A bottle of
  Macallan 60-year-old sold at auction for $1.1 million.
• That price tag makes it the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold.
• The Macallan Valerio Adami has been
  described as “the holy grail of whiskeys.”

A bottle of Macallan 60-year-old went for $1.1 million at
auction in Edinburgh, Scotland on Wednesday.

According to a Bonhams press release, the extremely
rare Macallan Valerio Adami was distilled in
1926 and bottled in 1986.

Bonhams Whiskey specialist Martin Green, who referred to the 1926
Macallan as “the Holy Grail of Whisky,” noted in the same press
release that its “exceptional rarity and quality puts it in a
league of its own.”

According to Forbes, it was purchased over
the phone by a bidder in Asia.

So, just how rare is it?

It’s part of a limited edition of only 24 bottles. They feature
custom-designed labels by pop
artists — 12 by Peter Blake and 12 by Valerio Adami.

As for the location of the other bottles, according to the BBC,
another Macallan Valerio Adami was sold at auction at Bonhams
Hong Kong in May. That bottle briefly held the record for the
most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold.

Yet another bottle is believed to have been
destroyed in a 2011 earthquake in Japan and a third is believed
to have been opened and consumed.

Whiskey lovers who are looking to enjoy their drink without
breaking the bank, on the other hand, might want to consider this
$17.50 whiskey that was named
among the best in the world in 2018. And they may
consider enjoying it over some top-tier, luxury ice.