Finance12 October, 20262 min read
The Macallan 1926 Sells For £2.1 Million At Sotheby’s Auction In Speyside
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Sotheby’s inaugural live auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside. Bottle matured 60 years in a sherry-seasoned cask, one of 40 bottles.
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£2.125m Macallan
A bottle of The Macallan 1926 Scotch whisky sold for £2.1 million at Sotheby’s auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, and another report put the sale at £2.125m. Sotheby’s held the auction to mark 100 years since the whisky was distilled in 1926, and the event was described as the first auction to be held at The Macallan Estate.
Sotheby’s said just 40 bottles were drawn from cask number 263, and the bottle was matured for 60 years in a sherry-seasoned oak cask before being bottled in 1986. Sotheby’s also said the sale was the first of its kind at a Scottish distillery, and the auction was attended by 50 leading whisky collectors with additional bids submitted online.
Cask 263 rarity
The bottle had a pre-sale estimate of £1.7m–£2.2m, and the sale became the world’s first US$1m, £1m whisky in 2018 and the first £2m whisky in 2023. The bottle sold at Sotheby’s first auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, during the centenary year of the spirit’s distillation.
The cask was emptied in 1986 after 60 years of maturation and yielded just 40 bottles, and the 40 bottles were said not to have been made available for purchase in the usual way. The cask was emptied in 1986 after 60 years of maturation and yielded just 40 bottles, and the 40 bottles were said not to have been made available for purchase in the usual way.
Sotheby’s totals and quotes
The invitation-only event brought in a total of £3.3 million (US$4.4 million) against an estimate of £2.4-3.2m, and 86% of the lots sold achieved prices above their high estimates. Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky & spirits at Sotheby’s, said the result reflected an "enduring fascination that The Macallan 1926 inspires among collectors around the world."
The sale was 100% sold and achieved an above-estimate total of £3.3 million ($4.4 million) against an estimate of £2.4-3.2 million, and the auction was the first auction ever to take place at The Macallan Estate. Jonny Fowle said, "Today’s result reflects the enduring fascination that The Macallan 1926 inspires among collectors around the world," and the auction comprised 42 lots drawn almost exclusively from private collections worldwide.