Recently the value of rare and collectible whiskies has skyrocketed, with individual bottle prices fetching hundreds of thousands of pounds. A single bottle of Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare 60 year old became the most expensive bottle ever sold at auction when it went under the hammer for US$ 1.9M at a Sotheby's event in 2019.
These record sales make for great publicity, but what does this mean for whisky cask owners?
Five of the rarest and most expensive bottles sold over the last two years:
RETAIL
Highland Park
54 Year Old, £39,000
The Glenturret
50 Year Old, £40,000
AUCTION
Springbank 1919
50 Year Old, Christie’s Auction price: £183,750
The Macallan Reach
81 Year Old, Sotheby’s Auction price: £300,000
Glenlivet Gordon & MacPhail Generations
80 Year Old, Sotheby’s Auction price: £140,000
*More distillery rare bottlings are listed at the end below.
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RETAIL
The Highland Park Distillery Unveils Its Oldest Whisky Bottling Yet
54 Years Old, £39,000 per bottle
[Feb 2023] The Highland Park 54 Year Old has been released to mark the 225th birthday of the distillery in the Orkney Islands. Exactly 225 bottles of this exceptional single malt are on offer…read more about this whisky.
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Cask Master Opinion
"The release and record sales of these highly limited edition rare bottles add to the value of the distillery and the amount that people are willing to pay for that whisky.
Therefore as cask owners, your cask's value is most likely to increase following one of these record sales."
Robert Keylock, Managing Director Singapore, Cask Master
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The Glenturret, The World’s Oldest Scotch Distillery
50 Years Old, £40,000 per bottle
[Aug 2022] The Glenturret is Scotland’s oldest working distillery and it was officially established in 1763. It is also the world’s first Michelin Star whisky distillery. This 50-year-old expression is packaged in a specially-designed Lalique crystal decanter. Only 150 bottles of the sherry cask-matured whisky are available…read more about this whisky.
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Cask Master Opinion
“Whisky bottles show a proven roadmap for the future value of your whisky casks.
If you bought a 10 year old cask, you can have a clear idea of the value of a 25 year old cask. You can also be assured that there is a ‘liquid’ market."
James Whale, Senior Whisky Specialist, Cask Master
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AUCTION
Springbank 1919, 50 Year Old
50 Years Old, Sold at Christie's Auctions for £183,750
[Dec 2021] The Springbank Distillery was established in 1828, built on the site of the previously illicit still used by Archibald Mitchell and is the oldest independent family-owned distillery in Scotland. Only 24 bottles from the 1919 vintage single cask were bottled at the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown in 1970. This extremely rare 50 Year Old whisky once held the Guinness world record for the most expensive whisky in the world and was ahead of its time in terms of super-premium whisky releases…read more about this whisky.
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Cask Master Opinion
"Unlike investing in rare whisky bottles, with casks you can sample your whisky every 4-5 years as it ages.
Allowing you to be more involved in your cask, whether your drivers are for passion or investment returns."
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Macallan Is the World's Oldest Whisky
81 Years Old, Sold at Sotheby’s Auction £300,000
[Feb 2022] The Macallan who many believe to be the most coveted whisky brand in the world has released the "oldest whisky ever". Distilled in 1940, this World War II survivor, named The Reach, was aged for 81 years before being bottled. Probably not coincidentally, The Macallan Reach is one year older than the Glenlivet 80-year-old (also distilled in 1940) which was, at the time, the oldest single malt whisky ever produced...read more about this whisky.
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Cask Master Opinion
“Bottle prices indicate rarity, which affects future pricing.
You generally get better value with whisky casks since the volume is greater and you can spend a similar amount buying an entire cask while it is young, as opposed to a single older rare bottle.”
- James Whale, Senior Whisky Specialist, Cask Master
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The Generations 80-Years-Old from Glenlivet Distillery
80 Years Old, Sold at Sotheby’s Auction £140,000
[Oct 2021] Distilled in 1940, this whisky has been cared for by the G&M family for decades and has been bottled through a collaboration with internationally acclaimed architect and designer, Sir David Adjaye OBE…read more about this whisky.
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Cask Master Opinion
“You have more options to exit your investment with 'tier 1' single malt whisky casks rather than finding a buyer for a single bottle of 'blue chip' rare whisky.
The rising popularity of investing in whisky casks has increased market liquidity.
To realise capital gains, a few exit strategies are available, sell to another investor, an independent bottler or you can bottle it yourself.”
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Other Distilleries That Have Released Rare Limited Edition Bottles
Macallan Genesis - 72 Year Old In Lalique Decanter, £130,000
Macallan 50 Year Old, Millennium Decanter, £70,000
Macallan 1969 - 52 Year Old - Duncan Taylor Rarest of The Rare, £70,000
Mortlach 1939 - 75 Year Old - G&M Generations, £50,000
Milton 1949 - 72 Year Old - G&M Private Collection, £50,000
Glenfiddich 50 Year Old Simultaneous Time - Time Reimagined, £31,430
Singleton 54 Year Old - 1966 - Paragon of Time II, £25,000
Dalmore 45 Year Old 1966 (cask 7) - Constellation Collection, £24,166
Glengoyne 50 Year Old, £22,490
Linkwood 1956 - 60 Year Old - Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection, £22,000
Bowmore 37 Year Old 1964 – Fino Cask, £20,833
Glen Grant 1952 - Platinum Jubilee Release (Gordon & MacPhail), £16,667
Tomatin, 50 Year Old, £15,457
Fettercairn 50 Year Old, £14,996
Port Ellen 1980 - 41 Year Old - Prima & Ultima 3, £10,000
Ardbeg 1974 Provenance, £4,150
Talisker 44 Year Old, £3,499
Next Steps
Find out what new whisky casks we have in stock.