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81-year-old Macallan whisky sells at auction for £300,000

The one-of-a-kind special edition of The Macallan The Reach 81-year-old single malt is the oldest whisky to ever come to auction. Image: Sotheby's.
The one-of-a-kind special edition of The Macallan The Reach 81-year-old single malt is the oldest whisky to ever come to auction. Image: Sotheby's.

A whisky from a Speyside distillery has become the oldest ever to come to auction – selling for an impressive £300,000.

The Reach single malt whisky by Macallan was sold for almost triple its estimate price at Sotheby’s in London earlier today.

The 81-year-old whisky was bought by a private UK collector who will also be able to visit the Macallan Estate for a tasting experience.

The money raised from the sale will go towards Macallan’s new Artisan Collective forum to benefit the Macallan Artisan Apprenticeship Fund.

The decanter sits on on a unique bronze sculpture. Image: Sotheby’s.

‘Age, rarity and provenance’

Unveiled in February, the rare whisky is crafted from a single, sherry-seasoned oak cask and encased in a mouth-blown, hot glass decanter.

At the time, it was announced that only 288 bottles would be produced worldwide.

The decanter sits on a bronze sculpture of three hands which represent the characters of Macallan’s history, including the distillery workers of 1940, former chairman Allan Shiach and master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell.

The wood used to create the decanter cabinet came from a fallen elm tree which is believed to have been on the Macallan Estate in 1940 – the year the spirit was distilled.

Macallan distillery exterior at dusk
The Macallan distillery opened on Speyside in 2018. Photo: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Jonny Fowle, head of whisky and spirits for the auction house, said: “This extraordinary result for the oldest whisky ever to come to auction is thoroughly deserved.

“One of one versions of special single malts are highly coveted, and we saw competitive bids playing out as the sale began to close, pushing the final price ever higher, to nearly three times over estimate.

“Age, rarity and provenance – once again, the holy trinity for collectors.”

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