$2.7 million is the incredible price of this special bottle of whiskey, find out why

It has been 2 years since the new record in the spirits market was set, with the sale of a bottle of the world’s “most coveted” Scotch whisky for approximately $2.7 million at auction in London.

On November 18, 2023, a bottle of The Macallan Adami 1926 sold at Sotheby’s London, becoming the most expensive bottle of spirits ever bought at auction. The bidding war involved both virtual and in-person participants, and the winning bidder attended the event.

Why is the scotch whisky so valuable?

In 1986, The Macallan bottled a 1926 Scotch whisky as part of a collection of 40 bottles produced from sherry casks that had been aged for six decades. The bottle’s value is enhanced by its label, designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami, making it one of only 12 bottles featuring this artwork. Collectors and enthusiasts highly sought this liquor, as it was not available for general purchase; instead, some bottles were offered exclusively to The Macallan’s top clients.

Previous auctions of Macallan whisky

Although this isn’t the first time a bottle from this collection has been sold, the recent sale shattered previous records from 2018 and 2019 auctions. Out of the 12 remaining bottles bearing the “Adami” label, one is believed to have been destroyed during a Japanese earthquake in 2011, while another unlabelled bottle remains unaccounted for. The collection also included two unlabelled bottles; one of these was hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon and sold at auction in 2018, becoming the first bottle of whisky to surpass £1 million.

While this is not the first time a bottle from this collection has been sold, the recent sale far exceeded the bids from the 2018 and 2019 auctions. The auction house reported that two bottles from the collection had no labels at all. One of these bottles was given to Michael Dillon, an Irish artist, to hand-paint and was auctioned off in 2018. According to Sotheby’s, “when sold in 2018, it became the first bottle of whisky to surpass £1 million.”