Scotch whisky as an investment: what new buyers need to know
A single Scotch whisky bottle made £2,187,500 at auction in 2023. A carbon-dating study found 21 supposedly rare bottles were fake. Both sit either side of the same divide: what can be checked against a public record, and what cannot. This guide explains how bottle and cask investment differ, what actually drives a bottle’s price, and the paperwork new buyers should ask to see first.
2026-08-26
Autographed whisky bottles: a collector’s guide to signed spirits memorabilia
Autographed whisky bottles range from a £17.50 House of Commons bottle signed by a backbench MP to a Yamazaki 50 Year Old that made £784,000 in Hong Kong. This guide explains who signs a bottle, master distillers, artists or public figures, how to check a signature is genuine, and where new collectors can find an honestly documented bottle without a six figure budget.
Top 10 most expensive whiskies ever sold
Six of the world’s ten most expensive whiskies trace back to one Macallan cask filled in 1926. The rest come from Japan, where Yamazaki and Karuizawa bottles have closed the gap on Scotch. From a £2.19 million Sotheby’s sale to a Hong Kong record set months ago, here are the ten highest whisky prices, each checked against the auction house’s own record.
2026-08-25
£300,000 for whisky one-off at charity sale?
A single decanter of whisky by distillers Port Ellen could realise as much as £300,000 (around $400,000) at auction in a charity sale in October. The whisky is a 46-year-old […]
2025-08-21
Rare bottle of Macallan whisky expected to auction for $80,000
A charity special edition bottle of whisky will sell next month and it’s not even the most valuable item in its sale at $80,000.
2025-03-12
1926 Macallan could break whisky sale records
You can bid now for a bottle of Macallan 1926 being sold at Sotheby’s on November 18. It’s likely you’ll need at least £750,000 to enjoy what is being called […]
2023-11-02
Winston Churchill’s Johnnie Walker whisky painting sells for almost £1 million
A Winston Churchill painting featuring his favourite bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky has sold for almost £1 million at auction in London this week. The British WWII leader’s still life […]
2020-11-18
Bottle of 1926 Macallan 60-year-old sets new $1.86 million whisky record
A bottle of 1926 Macallan 60-year-old has sold for $1.86 million at Sotheby’s, setting a new record as the world’s most expensive whisky. The rare bottle was the star lot […]
2019-10-25
“Holy Grail” whisky collection set for landmark £4 million sale at Sotheby’s
The world’s most valuable whisky collection ever offered for auction will hit the block at Sotheby’s in London next month. Dubbed ‘The Ultimate Whisky Collection’, the sale will feature 467 […]
2019-09-05
Rare Macallan-60 year old-1926 whisky could top $900,000 at Bonhams
A rare bottle of Macallan-60 year old-1926 whisky could fetch more than $900,000 when it hits the auction block at Bonhams next month. The bottle, featuring a label designed by […]
2019-02-20
Unique Macallan whisky bottle sells for world record $1.5 million
A unique hand-painted bottle of Macallan whisky has sold for $1.5 million at Christie’s, setting a new record as the world’s most expensive bottle of whisky. The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old […]
2018-11-30
Rare Macallan bottle breaks whisky auction record
A rare bottle of The Macallan has set a new record for a whisky at auction. The 750ml bottle of The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-Year-Old sold within estimate for […]
By Dan Wade
2018-10-04
World’s most valuable whisky up for auction at Bonhams
A bottle of the world’s most expensive Scotch whisky valued at $1 million is heading to auction at Bonhams in October. The rare bottle of Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60 […]
