Whiskey has some complicated cultural associations. Youthful memories of underage drinking in the high school parking lot may leave a bad taste in the mouth and a queasy feeling in the pit of the stomach. However, those of us who have grown into more refined (and discriminating) tastes have come to appreciate whiskey as one of the most sublime of taste experiences. Probably wine connoisseurs are the only beverage aficionados that rival whiskey enthusiasts in discerning appetites. Great whiskeys deliver a kind of revelation to the palate, which is an experience all its own.
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
Our number four spot on the list shows a dramatic jump in price for the number five spot. It is nearly three times the price! This Dalmore is noteworthy for its blend of four single malt whiskeys, each of them with diverse distillation dates. A mere 12 bottles were produced. Each one was given a distinctive name. The one that eventually was to claim the #4 spot on our list was named after the Dalmore estate owner, Alexander Matheson. The Matheson was anonymously purchased in 2005. Word on the whiskey-aficionado-street has it that the new owner of this velvety whiskey promptly cracked it open to polish off among some friends. We hope it's true.
3. Macallan 1926 - $75,000
Macallan makes its initial appearance on our list of top 5 most expensive whiskey bottles sold in the third spot. Here is an item that illustrates the Job-like patience of superior whiskey distillers. Distilled in 1926 this excellent whiskey was not bottled until 1986. Those 60 years later, the distillation produced only 40 bottles. Of special note, this whiskey is famous for how dry and concentrated it is. This quality is a result of there being no water added to it. In 2005 a South Korean businessman bought the monumentally priced bottle of this remarkable whiskey. Alas, I cannot attest to what he has done with it.
2. Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 - $94,000
Did we fool you with a little verbal sleight of hand? No, no Glenfiddich was not to be held down at the number five spot. The prestigious distiller runs away with the number two spot on the list. Here is a Scotch whisky aged in the barrel since New Year's Eve of 1955. This distillation was finally bottled in honor of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of Glenfiddich's founder. Commemorating her passing at the impressive age of 110 years old, 15 bottles were produced. The family retained four of those bottles. The other 11 were auctioned. The price leader, putting this floral, fruity whiskey at the number two spot on the list, was purchased at auction by an Atlanta whiskey connoisseur.
1. Macallan 1946 - $460,000
If the price for the second most expensive whiskey bottle ever sold seems in an outer stratosphere, you might want to sit down for this last one. No, that's no typo in the price cited above. This Macallan 1946 did indeed sell for nearly five times the price paid for the runner up. This famous bottle of Macallan in fact provides a illustrative example of the point made above about the uniqueness of circumstances on the occasion of an auction. It is widely acknowledged that some considerable part of this extraordinary price was due to the elegant LaliqueCire Perdue decanter in which the whiskey was sold. There is of course no way of knowing precisely how much the exquisite decanter elevated the sale price. Likewise, when auctions raise money for charity, as was the case in the sale of this Macallan 1946, it is impossible to calculate the potential affect upon price of philanthropic minded buyers who are valuing more than just the whiskey (or even more than just the whiskey and decanter) in what they are willing to pay. So, you can see why auction prices aren't necessarily useful indicators of market value.
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
Our number four spot on the list shows a dramatic jump in price for the number five spot. It is nearly three times the price! This Dalmore is noteworthy for its blend of four single malt whiskeys, each of them with diverse distillation dates. A mere 12 bottles were produced. Each one was given a distinctive name. The one that eventually was to claim the #4 spot on our list was named after the Dalmore estate owner, Alexander Matheson. The Matheson was anonymously purchased in 2005. Word on the whiskey-aficionado-street has it that the new owner of this velvety whiskey promptly cracked it open to polish off among some friends. We hope it's true.
3. Macallan 1926 - $75,000
Macallan makes its initial appearance on our list of top 5 most expensive whiskey bottles sold in the third spot. Here is an item that illustrates the Job-like patience of superior whiskey distillers. Distilled in 1926 this excellent whiskey was not bottled until 1986. Those 60 years later, the distillation produced only 40 bottles. Of special note, this whiskey is famous for how dry and concentrated it is. This quality is a result of there being no water added to it. In 2005 a South Korean businessman bought the monumentally priced bottle of this remarkable whiskey. Alas, I cannot attest to what he has done with it.
2. Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 - $94,000
Did we fool you with a little verbal sleight of hand? No, no Glenfiddich was not to be held down at the number five spot. The prestigious distiller runs away with the number two spot on the list. Here is a Scotch whisky aged in the barrel since New Year's Eve of 1955. This distillation was finally bottled in honor of Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of Glenfiddich's founder. Commemorating her passing at the impressive age of 110 years old, 15 bottles were produced. The family retained four of those bottles. The other 11 were auctioned. The price leader, putting this floral, fruity whiskey at the number two spot on the list, was purchased at auction by an Atlanta whiskey connoisseur.
1. Macallan 1946 - $460,000
If the price for the second most expensive whiskey bottle ever sold seems in an outer stratosphere, you might want to sit down for this last one. No, that's no typo in the price cited above. This Macallan 1946 did indeed sell for nearly five times the price paid for the runner up. This famous bottle of Macallan in fact provides a illustrative example of the point made above about the uniqueness of circumstances on the occasion of an auction. It is widely acknowledged that some considerable part of this extraordinary price was due to the elegant LaliqueCire Perdue decanter in which the whiskey was sold. There is of course no way of knowing precisely how much the exquisite decanter elevated the sale price. Likewise, when auctions raise money for charity, as was the case in the sale of this Macallan 1946, it is impossible to calculate the potential affect upon price of philanthropic minded buyers who are valuing more than just the whiskey (or even more than just the whiskey and decanter) in what they are willing to pay. So, you can see why auction prices aren't necessarily useful indicators of market value.
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 up to speed on the rising trends in up-scale whiskey, read Mickey Jhonny's articles on the Most Expensive Whiskey site. 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
No comments:
Post a Comment