While most of us double-check our bank accounts before ordering a double scotch on the rocks on weekends, there are a select few who don’t mind splurging north of seven figures on a bottle of whisky. No, really. Here are the five most expensive whiskies ever sold at auction.
1. Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s The Emerald Isle Collection ($2 Million)
Image Credits – Craft Irish Whiskey Co
Contrary to popular belief, it is not the Scots but the Irish who hold the record for making the world’s most expensive whiskey collection. Said to be inspired by the seven wonders of Ireland, the Craft Irish Whiskey Co. last year sold its ultra-exclusive seven-piece Emerald Isle Collection for a whopping $2 million on St. Patrick’s Day.
However, there’s a small catch here. Most of the value of the set was derived from its exquisitely-crafted 18k gold and emerald Fabergé Celtic Egg and 22k gold Fabergé timepiece, which was part of the collection’s package, encased in rose gold with sapphire crystals set.
2. Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Fine and Rare ($1.9 Million)
Image Credits – Macallan
Representing the isle of Scotland here is the long-running distillery Macallan, with its coveted 60-Year-Old Fine and Rare label. Said to be distilled over 90 years ago, the collection was described by Sotheby as “The essential centrepiece of any great collection and, for whoever opens the bottle and enjoys it with their friends, perhaps savouring it over time, with the potential to have over forty-five 15ml pours, this bottle provides the ultimate opportunity to taste the ‘holy grail’ of all whiskies – a once in a lifetime experience.”
And with those highly flattering words came an equally flattering price of nearly £1,452,000 ($1.9 million), a meteoric fetch price of £350,000 that the auction house was expecting. To put the label’s recent popularity in perspective, a previous 60-year-old Macallan became the world’s most expensive spirit back in 1987, with a price of…£5,000.
3. The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Michael Dillon ($1.53 Million)
Image Credits – Christie’s
Imagine a bottle so rare that even the distillery in which it was made had forgotten about its existence. Sold for a record hammer price in 2019, this 60-year-old Macallan was bottled from the distillery’s six-decade-old cask 263, with Irish artist Michael Dillon hand-painting the Easter Elchies House on the label with immaculate detail.
4. Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series ($1.52 Million)
Image Credits – Christie’s
The popularity of Japanese whisky has skyrocketed over the years, reaching its crescendo back in 2020 with the sale of the highly sought-after Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series for $1.52 million. The collection consists of 54 bottles in total, each representing a playing card in a deck. It was made by Isouji Akuto of Hanyu Distillery, who came from a long line of sake brewers. While Hanyu closed its shop in 2000, Akuto’s grandson conserved the 400 casks of its last remaining bottles, which were then released in the following years.
5. The Macallan The Intrepid ($1.38 Million)
Image Credits – Macallan
Perhaps no other bottle on the list gives a more impactful visual of your investment than the Intrepid. Standing tall (literally) at 5’11, the bottle holds 311 litres of fine whisky distilled from two American oak hogshead casks, each said to be maturing for 32 years. The label is unique itself, with faces of the 11 world’s most famous explorers immortalized on it.
