Macallan 1926 whisky fetches £2.1 million, becoming auction's second-most expensive bottle
A Macallan 1926 whisky bottle sold for £2.1 million at a private auction, ranking as the second-highest price ever paid for a whisky.
Sotheby’s hosted an invite-only auction at the Macallan distillery in Craigellachie, Moray, to celebrate the 1926 vintage’s centenary. The centerpiece, a Macallan 1926 whisky bottled in 1986 after six decades of maturation, sold for £2.1 million, placing it as the second-most valuable whisky ever sold at auction and the highest-priced when expressed in US dollars. The cask, identified as number 263 and originally crafted by Janet Isabella Harbinson, yielded only 40 bottles, many of which feature bespoke artwork by Valerio Ademi, Sir Peter Blake, and other artists.
The auction attracted about 50 of the world’s top whisky collectors. The previous record holder, The Emerald Isle, fetched £2.2 million in 2024. Jonny Fowle of Sotheby’s highlighted the sale as a milestone for whisky collecting, while Jaume Ferras of The Macallan expressed pride in the event’s charitable contributions.
Why it matters
The sale underscores the soaring value of ultra-rare whisky and highlights growing collector interest in luxury spirits.
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