Do you love your malt enough to shell out several millions of dollars for a bottle?
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These whiskey bottles have broken records.
And theres one thing these malts have in common, they have broken the bank too!
viaThe Macallan
Fun Fact:Whiskey is derived from the Gaelic word,Uisge Beatha.
It means water of life.
No wonder it can be so expensive!
you could say that these expensive malts can create a niche of their own.
But below, well discuss what makes whiskey expensive and the most expensive whiskey bottles.
Its pretty interesting to know what goes into making whiskey that makes a bottle reach an opulent price tag!
Crafting quality-wise, its a single malt whiskey aged in Spanish oak barrels for no less than 70 years.
The bottle was an iconic collaboration of creative director Fabien Baron, the Macmillan brand, and Lalique crystal.
And it wasnt from an auction like most expensive whisky bottles are sold.
As it turned out, it was purchased from a Duty-Free shop at the Istanbul Airport in 2021.
It sold for $795,000 in an auction in Hong Kong, 10x more than its pre-sale estimate.
The stunning price set a new milestone for the Japanese whisky market.
But understandable as the 46% ABV blend is bottled in a crystal decanter with real gold dust.
Fun Fact:The Yamazaki 55-Yead-Old is the oldest Japanese whisky in history.
Its previously aged in Japanese Mizunara oak barrels from 1960 but changed into white oak barrels in 1964.
The Macallan Peter Blake is one of the most exclusive liquors ever made, and its super old too!
It was distilled in 1926 but only bottled in 1986, precisely 60 years from its manufacturing date.
Twenty-four of the 40 bottles of the holy grail whiskey were commissioned to two renowned artists.
Twelve bottles featured a design hand-painted by British artist Sir Peter Blake.
He was known for co-creating the sleeve design of the Beatles album Sgt.
Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
And one of the bottles sold for a million dollars in an auction in March 2018.
The blend of rarity and vintage makes it a cherished liquor and a very valuable million-dollar malt.
There is only one of these bottles in the world, a true one-of-a-kind.
It was considered thelandmark momentin the whiskey market.
Its a single malt scotch and bottled cask-strength, but most expensive whiskeys are.
So, what makes Isabella Islay multi-million-dollar?
Heres the list of outrageously prized whiskey collections ever sold in auctions.
The Macallan Red Collection $975,756
Another super expensive collection from Macallan distillery is the Macallan Red Collection.
It is the only complete set of The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection.
Hanyu Ichiro Full Card Series $1.52 Million
Its an ultra-rare collection as the distillery ceased operation in 2000.
The Full Card Series is considered the most expensive set of Japanese whiskey ever sold.
Craft Irish Whiskey Co. Not to mention, its an ultra-exclusive release only available in seven sets.
What Is the Most Expensive Macallan?
Cheap vs.
Expensive Whiskey, Whats the Difference Besides the Price Tag?
It goes without saying that an expensive whiskey is higher in quality.
But do they taste better, or is it just a mad gimmick?
What traits make some whiskey more costly than others in the first place?
The Older, the More Expensive!
As a universal rule, whiskeys aged for at least 30 years carry a higher price tag.
And the older it gets, the price will increase unequivocally.
Its because of Angels Share.
Themost expensive liquors in the worldusually age inside old wood barrels for different amounts of time.
And within that time frame, around 1-2% of alcohol disappears (to the heavens!)
Thats what they call Angels Share.
And after 30 years, 30-40% of the alcohol has vanished.
That means older whiskeys have a smaller amount of liquid left inside those barrels.
And less supply means the liquor is scarcer, significantly upping the price.
Producing Single Malt whiskey includes using copper pot stills that need to get scrubbed down thoroughly after batches.
That makes the distillation process longer, adding to the cost.
Premium scotch whiskeys may also include other processes like using worm tubs and top-quality filters.
These measures to further hone thetaste of whiskeyadd cost to the process!
because that significantly affects the cost of the final bottle!
Both elevate the price of the final product.
But whiskeys dont come out of the casks with precisely 40% ABV.
Instead, the distilleries dilute it with water before bottling.
Hence, they have more whiskey bottles to sell.
You will only see the most expensive whiskey bottles in appealing packaging like platinum and crystal decanter.
And some can be more elaborate than others, like encrusted with real diamonds!
However, most whiskey fanatics would agree with whiskey is king.
But these bottles do take the trophy in the whiskey tree.
And for the liquor called the water of life, the hefty prices are somewhat unsurprising.
