Rare Macallan sells for £1.2 million at auction

A bottle of the Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old presented in a unique bottle painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon sold for £1,200,000 at auction yesterday.

It went under the hammer at Christie’s Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits auction in London, achieving a world auction record for a bottle of whisky.

The Macallan distillery located near the river Spey in North East Scotland was founded in 1824 and produces stunning examples of cask-matured single malts, particularly their highly prized single-cask, limited edition bottlings and Fine & Rare Collection.

The Macallan 60-Year-Old 1926 takes this rarity to new heights for collectors of Macallan whisky. Peter Blake, the renowned artist responsible for the album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Valerio Adami were each asked to design a label for this special 1926 Macallan 60-Year-Old malt, and 12 individually numbered bottles from each artist were released after the whisky had spent 60 years maturing in ex-sherry casks prior to bottling in 1986.

Less well-known was that one bottle of this ultra-rare elixir was commissioned and hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon. The bottle, which beautifully depicts the Easter Elchies House of The Macallan against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, is truly one-of-a-kind.

Tim Triptree MW, Christie’s International Director of Wine: ‘The sale represents a landmark moment in the whisky market with The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old achieving £1,200,000 and establishing a world auction record for a bottle of whisky.

‘The results confirm the strength of the market for whisky and the continued success of Christie’s in offering the finest spirits to our collectors across the globe.

‘We were delighted to collaborate with The Macallan to present a selection of whiskies direct from the distillery, highlighted by The Macallan 50-Year-Old (price realised: £72,000) and a selection of The Macallan Exceptional Single Cask including a VIP visit to The Macallan (price realised: £66,000).

‘Five bottles of The Macallan Genesis, a limited-edition released to celebrate the 2018 opening of the new distillery and visitor experience, achieved a combined total of £11,400, the proceeds of which will be donated to selected Speyside community support organisations.’

Scott McCroskie, managing director, The Macallan: ‘This 1926 60-Year-Old bottle of The Macallan, hand-painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon is very rare, so it is exciting to see it come to market and establish another auction record for Single Malt Scotch.

‘The Macallan is renowned for its quality and desirability, and the Christie’s auction marks a significant achievement for the brand.’