The world’s largest bottle of whisky, a 6-foot-tall 32-year-old Macallan, is on its way to auction. This whiskey bottle is too big to put on the top shelf. Or, for that matter, any shelf.
Lyon & Turnbull, located in Edinburgh, will auction a 311-litre bottle of 32-year-old Macallan single malt named The Intrepid on May 25. The bottle is the largest globally, not just in terms of content but also in terms of height, standing at 5 feet 11 inches tall.
The world’s most costly barrel, the world’s oldest single malt, the world’s most valuable collection, and so on have all been broken in the last half-decade. And one of the most desired titles, the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold, might be challenged next month.
However, achieving this distinction necessitates a significant leap: Unlike the current most costly bottle, which is a regular 700 millilitres, the bottle that will attempt to break the record is already the world’s biggest bottle of whiskey!
In September, a trio of whiskey-related businesses firm Fah Mai Holdings Group, alternative asset firm Rosewin Holdings, and independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky filled a 5-foot, 11-inch, 311-litre bottle with The Macallan’s coveted 32-year-old Scotch. Guinness World Records was on hand to certify the event, and the finished result was dubbed the “Largest Bottle of Scotch,” a record that was beaten by 83 litres.
Based on some arithmetic, the three calculated that the findings may perhaps beat the record for the most valuable bottle, which now stands at £1,452,000 (or around $1,825,000 due to a weakening currency rate). They calculated that independent bottlings of 30-year-old Macallan typically retail for over £3,000, and their bottle contains over 444 bottles of Scotch, placing it beyond the £1.3 million level. When you add in the novelty of the bottle being the biggest ever, they’ve got a record on their hands.
The bottle, dubbed The Intrepid, will be auctioned off on May 25 by Lyon & Turnbull. The event is advertised as giving “pioneering collectors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to claim their position in the whiskey hall of fame.”
Colin Fraser, who will oversee the auction for Lyon & Turnbull, noted in the announcement, “I’m confident there will be substantial global interest in the auction of The Intrepid.” “Bidders will be able to own a piece of Scottish whiskey history. They will be the proud owners of a 32-year-old single-malt Scotch from The Macallan, widely considered one of the world’s top distilleries.”
“It is hoped that The Intrepid will blast past the $1.9 million (£1.5 million) threshold and become the most costly ever sold,” the release said of the record-breaking price. However, Lyon & Turnbull’s website merely offers “Estimate Upon Request” for a pre-auction estimate.
