Sotheby's auction to feature rare 1926 Macallan whisky with price tag of up to £1.2 million

Sotheby's, the renowned auction house, has unveiled its upcoming spectacle for whisky connoisseurs and collectors, reported BBC. An exceedingly rare bottle of The Macallan 1926, a coveted single malt from The Macallan distillery, is poised to hit the auction block next month. The anticipated event is generating significant buzz among aficionados, as the bottle is expected to fetch a staggering sum of up to £1.2 million.
This particular Macallan 1926 has earned its reputation as the Holy Grail of Scotch whisky, highly sought-after by enthusiasts and collectors alike.The indisputable allure of this spirit was underscored in 2019 when a similar bottle shattered records, commanding an astonishing £1.5 million in a previous auction.
What makes this auction all the more compelling is the fact that it marks the first time a bottle from the same 1926 cask has returned to the auction stage since that historic sale. Distilled in 1926, this extraordinary whisky matured in sherry casks for a remarkable six decades before being bottled in 1986. Just 40 bottles were produced, with reports suggesting that they were not made available for general purchase; instead, a select few were reserved for The Macallan's most esteemed clients.
Throughout the years, the appearance of any of these Macallan 1926 bottles at auction has consistently delivered extraordinary results, capturing the imagination of collectors and investors alike.
The prized Macallan Adami 1926 is scheduled to go under the hammer at Sotheby's in London on November 18th, with an estimated price range of £750,000 to £1.2 million. Jonny Fowle, Sotheby's global head of spirits, expressed his excitement, stating, "The Macallan 1926 is the one whisky that every auctioneer wants to sell and every collector wants to own. I am extremely excited to bring a bottle to a Sotheby's auction for the first time since we set the record for this vintage four years ago."
Sotheby's revealed that the 40 bottles from the 1926 cask boast a variety of unique labels. Among them, a maximum of 14 are adorned with the iconic Fine and Rare labels, one of which achieved the record-breaking price in 2019.
Additionally, two bottles were released without any labels, one of which was hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon, making it the first whisky bottle to exceed the £1 million mark when sold in 2018. The remaining bottles include 12 labeled by pop artist Sir Peter Blake and another 12 designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami.
Notably, the exact number of surviving Macallan Adami 1926 bottles remains a mystery. One is rumored to have met its demise in a Japanese earthquake in 2011, and at least one is believed to have been opened and enjoyed, adding to the mystique surrounding these extraordinary treasures.