Another record was broken in the whisky world in 2018! A 60-year-old, 1926 Macallan was auctioned in Hong Kong for $1.01 million! It is safe to say James Bond can’t afford this one!
“An aged statement is a symbol of prestige, rarity and more importantly, a piece of history!”
Google the most expensive whisky, the top 10 are all from Scotland with an aged statement above 50-year-old attached to each bottle. Distilleries such as Macallan, Dalmore, Glenfarclas and Glenfiddich will always hold the top position because of its ‘first mover advantage’, like birthdays, you can never catch up with someone who is older than you!
If the aged statement is a key criterion for the most expensive whisky, by default, other countries, especially in the southern hemisphere, are unlikely to ever produce the most expensive whisky due to the climate. Sullivan’s Cove recently released their ‘oldest’ whisky, which is about 17 years old. Outside of the Scotch world, Japanese whisky is closing in. In fact, in January 2018, a bottle of 50-year-old Yamazaki became the most expensive Japanese whisky ever sold at auction, fetching a price of $299,000 USD.
Perhaps it is not a competition at all!
The value of a 60-year-old, 1926 Macallan is the origin story, like an original Van Gogh painting or a 1954 Fender Stratocaster. Not to be confused with the ‘re-prints’ or ‘limited edition’ whisky that we know and love. We can drink, taste and enjoy our limited editions, while the 1926 Macallan is to be admired at a distant. But hey, who wouldn’t like to have an original on your own walls?
I’ll keep enjoying my 53.201 The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) while I dream!
References:
https://www.maxim.com/food-drink/most-expensive-whiskey-at-auction-2018-5
https://www.forbes.com/sites/felipeschrieberg/2018/01/31/50-year-old-japanese-whisky-is-most-expensive-ever-sold/#6cfb8f363f86
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/04/pair-of-1926-macallan-whiskies-sold-for-record-1-2m/