Auctions are the most straightforward way to acquire rare and expensive whiskies. Although whisky had sold at auction before, it was only in 1989 that Christie’s held the first auction in Scotland dedicated to whisky. By 1997, International Whisky Auction started in Germany, later to become whiskyauction.com. These are some prized bottles that fetched record-breaking prices at auction. (Foreign currencies reflected in equivalent U.S. dollars at time of sale.)
Macallan 1926 60 year old
$21,874—2001, Glasgow
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
Dalmore 62 year old The Kildermorie
$34,518—2002, Glasgow
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
19th century Mutter Bowmore
$50,968—2007, Glasgow
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
1.5 liter decanter of Macallan 64 year old in Lalique Cire Perdue
$460,000—2010, New York
New record for any whisky lot
Glenfiddich 1955 Janet Sheed Roberts 55 year old
$94,000—2012, New York
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
Unique decanter of Bowmore 1964 48 year old
$98,610—2013, London
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky; current Scotch whisky record holder
‘Imperiale’ Macallan “M” Constantine, 6 liter
$515,600—2014, Hong Kong
New record for any whisky lot
Karuizawa 1960 52 year old ‘The Cockerel’
$96,774—2015, Hong Kong
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky and first Japanese whisky to hold the record
Yamazaki 50 year old First Release
$109,585—2016, Hong Kong
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
Midleton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl Edition
$7,001—2016, Glasgow
New record for a standard sized bottle of Irish whiskey
Single barrel Blade and Bow 24 year old distilled at Stitzel-Weller Distillery in 1991 (34 bottles)
$78,000—2016, New York
New record for an American whiskey lot
Karuizawa 1960 52 year old ‘The Wanderer’
$141,551—2017, Hong Kong
New record for standard sized bottle of whisky
Six decanters in the Macallan in Lalique Legacy Collection
$810,810—2017, Hong Kong
New record for any whisky lot
Obviously, the average collector will never have a shot at bottles this luxurious—but that’s no reason to swear off collecting altogether.
