Highest-value whisky collection raises US$1.9m at auction

Sotheby’s NY has sold the highest-value whisky collection in a standalone auction in the US, which achieved US$1,991,313 (£1,860,123).

The Timeless Whisky Collection, which was sold in New York on 24 September,  was amassed by an anonymous collector from California, and comprised 497 bottles, including The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection, and 30 bottles that exceeded 50 years of age, as well as 53 whisky magnums.

The sale, which took place on 23 September in New York, had a pre-sale estimate of US$1.6 million-US$2.1m.

The highlight was the Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection, a limited edition of six 50-60 year old whiskies released over a decade between 2005 and 2016. It came with a specially commissioned burr oak display platform, and an exclusive experience offered directly by Lalique.

The lot sold for US$562,000, a little under its $600,000 high estimate.

Other whiskies in the sale include Bowmore, Highland Park, Glen Grant, Tamdhu, Glenfarclas, Fettercairn, Glen Mhor, Glenglassaugh, Loch Lomond, Linkwood, and The Glenlivet.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s head of whisky & spirits, North America and EMEA, said the collection had showcased “everything that collectors look for in whisky, from high-value, highly aged bottles, to limited outturn and large-format independent bottlings” and set “another benchmark in the whisky auction market”.

Meanwhile, Sotheby’s London has sold the first decanter of The Glenturret’s first ever 50-year-old whisky for £52,500. Just 150 bottles of the historic new expression have been created. It will retail for £40,000.