The Macallan 1926: Sotheby’s Offers Up the Whisky World’s Ultimate Masterpiece

Sotheby’s Unleashes the Whisky Unicorn: The Macallan 1926

This is no ordinary bottle of booze; it’s The Macallan 1926, the Everest of whiskies. Brace yourself—this liquid gold once fetched a staggering £1.5 million. Conjured in 1926 and bottled six decades later, only 40 of these rarities exist. These coveted bottles were discreetly handed to Macallan’s VIP clientele, bypassing retail shelves. Whenever one surfaces at auction, it doesn’t just turn heads; it shatters records.

Auction slated for November 18 in London, and the bidding war kicks off on November 1. The stakes? A jaw-dropping £750,000 to £1.2 million.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s spirits maestro, dubbed this Macallan the Holy Grail of whiskies. It’s the showstopper every auctioneer dreams of hammering and every collector lusts to possess. This particular bottle marks its auction debut since grabbing the world record in 2019, with a fresh makeover from The Macallan Distillery. New cork, new capsule, and a forensic liquid analysis—it’s the prototype for Macallan 1926 scrutiny moving forward.

But this isn’t just any 1926 Macallan. This bottle sports a label designed by Italian maestro Valerio Adami. Known for his vivid graphic artistry, Adami confined himself to black and white, creating a label that’s become a whisky-world legend. One of these art pieces was even lost to a Japanese earthquake in 2011.

The Macallan 1926 family is a tapestry of art and history. From ‘Fine and Rare’ labels to a hand-painted stunner by Irish artist Michael Dillon that broke the £1 million barrier in 2018. Then there are the 12 bottles tagged by Pop Artist Sir Peter Blake, capturing the essence of the ‘roaring 20s’.

Sealed, authenticated, and unapologetically luxurious. This Macallan isn’t just a bottle; it’s a saga waiting to be owned.