Rare whisky sets a new world record
Last updated 3rd Oct 2018
A 60 year old bottle of Scotch has become the world's most valuable dram selling for £700,000.
There was world-wide interest in the Macallan Valerio Adami, which is described by experts as the 'Holy Grail of whisky which was sold at auction at Bonhams in Edinburgh.
Fees brought the total paid by the winning bidder to £849,000.
"Following the world record for the Macallan Adami set at Bonhams Hong Kong in May we've had interest from all over the world in this auction, especially - but by no means only - from China and other parts of Asia,'' said Martin Green, Bonhams whisky specialist.
"Whisky collecting is a truly international phenomenon these days and this is an exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the rarest and most desirable bottles ever produced.''
The whisky is officially described as a 60-year-old, having been created in 1926 and bottled in 1986.
Mr Green added: "The Macallan 1926 60-year-old has been described as the Holy Grail of whisky.
"Its exceptional rarity and quality puts it in a league of its own, and the world's most serious whisky collectors will wait patiently for many years for a bottle to come on to the market.''
It was bought by the seller direct from the Macallan distillery for an undisclosed sum in 1994.
Another bottle of The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong in May for a world record-breaking price of £814,081, at the time the most paid for a bottle of Scotch whisky at public auction.
A number of other important bottles are also being offered for sale at the Edinburgh auction.
They include three bottles of Black Bowmore 1964, estimated to fetch £42,000-£51,000; a Macallan 62-year-old from 1950, valued at up to £35,000; and a Dalmore 50-year-old from 1926, with an estimated hammer price of £20,000-£25,000