The most expensive whiskey in the world
These are two bottles of The Macallan Scotch Whiskey from 1929 sold in Dubai for 1,2 million dollars, these are the most expensive whiskeys in the world
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Montalcino, Casato Prime Donne
Whisky più caro
These have been sold by the Le Clos wine store in the Dubai airport, a store that sells wine excellence from all over the world to a public of travelers but most of all of millionaires. I remember that my daughter stopped in this famous wine store on a trip to Asia and was surprised by the number of bottles with stellar prices but also by the presence of the manager, there in persona, at 3 am. Evidently it is during the changes for travelers going to China or India when the collectors stop at Le Clos for some shopping of rare bottles. << We are thrilled to be able to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with another world-record sale>> said the Le Clos manager Iain Delaney to Forbes underlining the fact that this wine store intends becoming world leader in luxury wine sales.
And in fact it is here that that a collector has bought 2 bottles of Whisky from The Macallan dated 1926 at the modest price of 600.000€ each. A price never paid before that makes these whiskeys the most expensive in the world. In fact these are not just any bottles. The liquid contained was distilled in 1926 and aged for 60 years in barrels used previously for sherry before being bottles in 1986. The labels too are something rare: one was designed by Sir Peter Blake very well known for his collaboration with The Beatles and one by the Italian artist Valerio Adami. In all only 40 bottles were produced of which 12 + 12 packaged with the labels signed by the two artists. The Macallan put them on sale for 27.000 Dollari each after which the bottles disappeared surely in collectors safes, until 2007 when one of them was auctioned at Christie’s at 75.000$.
The famous The Macallan distillery, founded in 1824, is a sort of icon for all of Scotland. Its 14 copper stills have been reproduced on the 10 pound notes by the Bank of Scotland. But it is in auctions that the single malt produced from barley from the 158 hectares surrounding the distillery that The Macallan demonstrates all of its strength and charm: from them comes the most expensive single bottle auctioned in Hong Kong in 2014 for 628.000 Dollars and theirs is the single barrel contained whiskey 50 years old sold in London, in march 2018, for 7.000.000$ equal to about 35.000$ for each of the 200 bottles that will come out of it.
In a few weeks time another two bottles of The Macallan 1926, same series as those sold in Dubai will be sold at an auction in Hong Kong by Bonhams and they appear in the catalogue with an estimated prices that goes from $460.000 and $573.000 but surely they will be sold at more and consequently will break every existing record.