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Bottle of Macallan 1926 Whisky Sells for Record $1.5m
A unique, hand-painted bottle of Macallan 1926 whiskey was recently sold for a world record-breaking price of $1.5 million at Christie’s Wine and Spirits auction in London.
One of forty 1926 bottles that came from cask 263, an ex-sherry, the exceedingly rare whisky came in a bottle bearing a hand-painted tag by Irish artist Michael Dillon, highly acclaimed for his historical decorations.
Most other editions from the lot come with an exclusive label painted by artists such as Peter Blake, (renowned for the album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt.) and Valerio Adami.
The bottle painting was commissioned and offered for sale through Fortnum & Mason in London in 1999.
According to an official statement by Christies, the 1926 60-Year-Old Michael Dillon bottle is “unquestionably the ‘Holy Grail’ for whiskey collectors as it is truly one-of-a-kind.”
The bottle, which depicts the Easter Elchies House of The Macallan and the Scottish Highlands was offered in a “The Macallan 60-Year-Old” wooden presentation case with a certificate of authenticity from The Macallan.
The bottle has also set a new world record for the most expensive whiskey ever to be sold on auction.
Based in Scotland since 1824, The Macallan Estate has a global reputation as one of the world’s finest distillers of single malt whisky.