Whiskey, as both a cultural icon and palate stimulating experience, runs the gamut from gut rot to one of the most refined drinks money can buy (though it can require a lot of money). Only wine aficionados rival whiskey connoisseurs for their elevated standards and somewhat airy appetites. A great whiskey can be as much a revelation for the taste buds as any wonderful experience.
This delightful experience though does not come cheap. Indeed, the best whiskeys can be so expensive, it's a fair question to ask, even for a non-aficionado, just what is the most expensive whiskey? Well, to answer that question fairly, it is necessary to distinguish the actual retail price of even the dearest whiskey with the officially highest paid prices for bottles of whiskey. The most expensive bottles of whiskey that have sold were purchased at auction. And auctions are most definitely not reliable indicators of routine market value. They are unique moments, with specific circumstances unlikely to be precisely repeated. It is the nature of prices to have some volatility; auction prices are that much trickier as guides to future valuation.
Elsewhere I've provided a list of the most expensive whiskey retail prices. It could be argued that those are the prices of more immediate relevance to the whiskey connoisseur, since they are the ones you'd reliably pay for the most exquisite whiskey experience. There is though nonetheless a kind of vicarious fascination with knowing just how much people have been prepared to pay for a bottle of whiskey. Especially when it's more than most people in the world pay for their house! Below we list from least to most the five most expensive whiskey bottle sales. And as you'll see, the emphasis on "bottle" is not a trivial one.
5. Glenfiddich 1937 - $20,000
In one of the funniest films of the 90s, Swingers, Mike attempts rather awkwardly to make a good impression, ordering a whiskey. He rather importantly notes it mustn't be a blend, and suggests, "Single malt, Glen Livet, Glen Galley...perhaps...any Glen." Well, we're sure that Mikey would be happy to know that indeed a "Glen" made it to the top five. Distilled in 1937 in Glenfiddich's Scottish plant, this is a delightful whiskey which has benefited from being allowed to gracefully age. In 2001 it was bottle, resulting in a product line of a mere 61 bottles. Among those scant 61, the pricey bottle of note for our purposes was bought at a charity auction in New York in 2006.
4. Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson - $58,000
From there the price jumps up rather dramatically - nearly tripling in cost. The Dalmore is blended from four single malt whiskies with diverse dates of distillation. This 1942 distillation only produced a mere 12 bottles. The most expensive of this dozen was named after the Dalmore estate owner, Alexander Matheson. This Matheson bottle was anonymously purchased in 2005. We're happy to report that rumor has it that the new owner of the velvety whiskey wasted no time in cracking it open among some friends and promptly finishing it off. We hope it's true.
3. Macallan 1926 - $75,000
Macallan's first splash on our top 5 list is a distinctive whiskey that ranks at the #3 spot. A testament to the enduring patience of elite whiskey producers, it was distilled in 1926, and only bottled in 1986. The distillation produced 40 bottles. Its mark of distinction is the remarkably dry and concentrated quality of the whiskey. These qualities resulted from the complete absence of added water. It was a South Korean businessman, who, in 2005, bought the third most expensive whiskey bottle ever. I can't confirm what he did with it.
2. Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 - $94,000
Ah, did you really think that was going to be the only Glenfiddich? Fooled you! Oh, no, Glenfiddich in fact steals the number two spot on our list with a Scotch whisky that has been aging in the barrel since New Year's Eve of 1955. The 15 bottles from this barrel were produced in honor of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of Glenfiddich's founder, who in her 110th year pass away. The family is said to have hung onto four of those bottles. The rest are known to have been auctioned. The bottle that puts this floral, fruity whiskey in our second spot was purchased at auction by an Atlanta whiskey connoisseur for $94,000.
1. Macallan 1946 - $460,000
And then there was number one. Yes, you're reading that price correctly. Number one is indeed pushing five times the price of the sale for the second whiskey on the list. This case nicely illustrates the above caveat about the specificity of auction generated prices. Some considerable part of this auction item's appeal was indeed the actual bottle itself. The Macallan 1946 was auctioned off in a stunning LaliqueCire Perdue decanter. It's impossible of course to know with any certainly just what affect the decanter had on the final price of the sale. Additionally, when dealing with a charity auction, as this one was, again the price of the whiskey per se is not directly reflected in what a philanthropic minded buyer might be willing to pay.
It would be a shame though if all of that were to distract us overly from the actual quality of this superior whiskey. It is acknowledged as one of Macallan's best, produced with peated malt. Its eye-popping $460,000 price tag was paid in a 2010 auction. If you're interested in knowing more about the story of this remarkable whisky auction, check out this Forbes video produced in anticipation of the then upcoming auction.
This delightful experience though does not come cheap. Indeed, the best whiskeys can be so expensive, it's a fair question to ask, even for a non-aficionado, just what is the most expensive whiskey? Well, to answer that question fairly, it is necessary to distinguish the actual retail price of even the dearest whiskey with the officially highest paid prices for bottles of whiskey. The most expensive bottles of whiskey that have sold were purchased at auction. And auctions are most definitely not reliable indicators of routine market value. They are unique moments, with specific circumstances unlikely to be precisely repeated. It is the nature of prices to have some volatility; auction prices are that much trickier as guides to future valuation.
Elsewhere I've provided a list of the most expensive whiskey retail prices. It could be argued that those are the prices of more immediate relevance to the whiskey connoisseur, since they are the ones you'd reliably pay for the most exquisite whiskey experience. There is though nonetheless a kind of vicarious fascination with knowing just how much people have been prepared to pay for a bottle of whiskey. Especially when it's more than most people in the world pay for their house! Below we list from least to most the five most expensive whiskey bottle sales. And as you'll see, the emphasis on "bottle" is not a trivial one.
5. Glenfiddich 1937 - $20,000
In one of the funniest films of the 90s, Swingers, Mike attempts rather awkwardly to make a good impression, ordering a whiskey. He rather importantly notes it mustn't be a blend, and suggests, "Single malt, Glen Livet, Glen Galley...perhaps...any Glen." Well, we're sure that Mikey would be happy to know that indeed a "Glen" made it to the top five. Distilled in 1937 in Glenfiddich's Scottish plant, this is a delightful whiskey which has benefited from being allowed to gracefully age. In 2001 it was bottle, resulting in a product line of a mere 61 bottles. Among those scant 61, the pricey bottle of note for our purposes was bought at a charity auction in New York in 2006.
4. Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson - $58,000
From there the price jumps up rather dramatically - nearly tripling in cost. The Dalmore is blended from four single malt whiskies with diverse dates of distillation. This 1942 distillation only produced a mere 12 bottles. The most expensive of this dozen was named after the Dalmore estate owner, Alexander Matheson. This Matheson bottle was anonymously purchased in 2005. We're happy to report that rumor has it that the new owner of the velvety whiskey wasted no time in cracking it open among some friends and promptly finishing it off. We hope it's true.
3. Macallan 1926 - $75,000
Macallan's first splash on our top 5 list is a distinctive whiskey that ranks at the #3 spot. A testament to the enduring patience of elite whiskey producers, it was distilled in 1926, and only bottled in 1986. The distillation produced 40 bottles. Its mark of distinction is the remarkably dry and concentrated quality of the whiskey. These qualities resulted from the complete absence of added water. It was a South Korean businessman, who, in 2005, bought the third most expensive whiskey bottle ever. I can't confirm what he did with it.
2. Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 - $94,000
Ah, did you really think that was going to be the only Glenfiddich? Fooled you! Oh, no, Glenfiddich in fact steals the number two spot on our list with a Scotch whisky that has been aging in the barrel since New Year's Eve of 1955. The 15 bottles from this barrel were produced in honor of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of Glenfiddich's founder, who in her 110th year pass away. The family is said to have hung onto four of those bottles. The rest are known to have been auctioned. The bottle that puts this floral, fruity whiskey in our second spot was purchased at auction by an Atlanta whiskey connoisseur for $94,000.
1. Macallan 1946 - $460,000
And then there was number one. Yes, you're reading that price correctly. Number one is indeed pushing five times the price of the sale for the second whiskey on the list. This case nicely illustrates the above caveat about the specificity of auction generated prices. Some considerable part of this auction item's appeal was indeed the actual bottle itself. The Macallan 1946 was auctioned off in a stunning LaliqueCire Perdue decanter. It's impossible of course to know with any certainly just what affect the decanter had on the final price of the sale. Additionally, when dealing with a charity auction, as this one was, again the price of the whiskey per se is not directly reflected in what a philanthropic minded buyer might be willing to pay.
It would be a shame though if all of that were to distract us overly from the actual quality of this superior whiskey. It is acknowledged as one of Macallan's best, produced with peated malt. Its eye-popping $460,000 price tag was paid in a 2010 auction. If you're interested in knowing more about the story of this remarkable whisky auction, check out this Forbes video produced in anticipation of the then upcoming auction.
About the Author:
To stay on top of the rising trends in up-scale whiskey, follow Mickey Jhonny's articles on the Most Expensive Whiskey blog. He's also written a fantastic article on the role of high end whiskey and other old school charms in the success of the hit TV show Mad Men: The Don Draper Haircut and the Cool of Mad Men