“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” These famous words from legendary American writer Mark twain resonate with almost everyone who loves whiskey on this planet. Whiskey is a beloved distilled beverage which is manufactured using fermented grain mash. It is one of the most popular and preferred drinks in the world. Whiskey enthusiasts love their whiskey so much that they would prefer to own a century-old bottle than any other valuable commodity. The most expensive whiskeys in the world are some of the most expensive items for sale on the planet.
For the true lovers of whiskey, a glass of neat whiskey is the holy grail of alcoholic drinks. If you look at the history books, you will find that during the 18th century it was a currency for conducting business transactions in parts of the United States of America.
It is a fact that whiskey has managed to create a niche for itself in the consumer market as it is one of the most expensive, rare, and valuable drinks in the world.
While there are a lot of brands and types of whiskies that compete for the “most expensive whiskey in the world” category, the incredibly astronomical prices are usually because of the bottle containing the whiskey, rather than the whiskey itself.
Expensive metals and precious gemstones are used in creating these decanters, and they manage to gain the attention of whiskey lovers and collectors alike. This results in a bidding war that escalates and fetches considerably obscene prices at auctions. In this list, we will talk about the most expensive whiskeys in the world. The list is arranged in the ascending order of price i.e. we will go from low to high.
Here are the most expensive whiskeys in the world:
Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson 1942
Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson at a price value of 58,000 US dollars is one of the most expensive whiskeys in the world.
It is part of a limited edition series as the company has released only twelve bottles. This particular bottle was named after the owner of the estate Alexander Matheson and is one of the world’s most expensive whiskeys.
As the label suggests, Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson 1942 was released in the year 1942.
It is a single malt highland whiskey that has been created by blending four whiskeys of different years. This is a premium alcoholic bold beverage and in great demand because of its rarity and taste.
Glenfiddich 1937
Next on the most expensive whiskeys in the world list is the Glenfiddich 1937. A rare bottle of Glenfiddich 1937 was sold at Bonhams whiskey sale in Edinburg and fetched a price of 71,000 US dollars. In the year 2012 auction house Christie sold one bottle for 46,000 Great Britain Pounds. The rare expression is part of a limited edition series as the company has released only sixty-one bottles in the market.
Glenfiddich 1937 is a single malt whiskey that was distilled with the help of traditional methods and later aged in cask 843 in the year 1937 at Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside. The valuable whiskey features rich notes of chocolate, molasses, oak, burnt heather, and cedar.
The whiskey has a deep-walnut color with traces of toffee, cloves, and cinnamon. This premium vintage was from a cask that was made in the year 1937 hence the label on the bottle Glenfiddich 1937. It was bottled sixty-four years later in the year 2001 and had an ABV of 40%.
Springbank 1919
At a price tag of 78,000 US dollars, Springbank 1919 is one of the most expensive whiskeys in the world. The rare whiskey managed to list its name in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most expensive whiskey of its time.
Springbank 1919 is a popular single malt Scotch whiskey that has a niche market of its own. This bottled beverage is a part of the 1919 vintage and was bottled in the year 1970.
The whiskey was created via traditional methods of production and hence is very valuable. It is also a limited edition unit as the brand released only twenty-four bottles.
Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955
In the year 2012, a bottle of Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 was sold at an auction at New York in the United States. At a price tag of 94,000 US dollars, it is one of the most expensive whiskies in the world.
It is a part of a limited edition series as the brand manufactured fifteen bottles but released only eleven of them in the market. The name Janet Sheed was added to the label as she was the granddaughter of William Grant, the founder of Glenfiddich.
One of the most expensive whiskeys ever, the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 is a rare beverage with a heavenly flavour of woody-oak and hints of heather, hay, pear, and barley. The light and smooth Scotch whiskey has a faintly spicy finish with a touch of cured-meat and nutmeg.
Dalmore 64 Trinitas
Dalmore 64 Trinitas has been sold at a price tag of 160,000 US dollars, making it one of the most expensive whiskies in the world. It is part of a limited edition series as the company had released only three bottles and only one was available for sale.
Dalmore 64 Trinitas is created by blending whiskeys that have been preserved since the years 1868, 1926, 1878 and 1939.
This was a single malt whiskey, and the nose includes different flavors like Columbian coffee, bitter orange, crushed walnut and sweet raisin with subtle notes of sandalwood, white musk, patchouli, and grapefruit.
After the initial taste, you will get a hint of mangoes, figs and caramelized apples and finish of roast coffee, treacle toffee, marzipan, and soft licorice. This is a complex alcoholic beverage, for the true connoisseur.
Dalmore 62
Dalmore 62 at a price value of 250,000 Singapore dollars or 192,000 US dollars is one of the most expensive whiskies in the world. It was sold at Changi Airport and created history.
It is a part of a limited edition series as the brand released only twelve bottles with different names. In the year 2002 it was sold for 22,000 Great Britain Pounds and in the year 2005 for 32,000 Great BritainPounds.
Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson has been created by blending four whiskeys of single malt from the Scottish Highlands of 1939, 1926, 1876 and 1868. It is said to be a century old whiskey and is very rare and unique.
The beautiful decanter is handcrafted from crystal and platinum. The wooden mold that created the decanter which houses the beverage, took 100 hours of hard labor.
The Macallan 64 in Lalique Cire Perdue
The Macallan 64 in Lalique Cire Perdue was sold at an auction organized by Sotheby’s in New York in the year 2010. At an estimated price tag of 460,000 US dollars, it is one of the most expensive whiskies in the world.
The brand was able to register the whiskey in the Guinness Book of World Records as it was the most expensive whiskey at that time.
The proceeds have been donated to Charity: Water, an organization that works for clean water.
Macallan 64 in Lalique Cire Perdue is a 64-year-old single malt whiskey from the Speyside distillery. The premium quality and aged whiskey was created by blending the beverage from three Spanish oak casks from 1946, 1945 and 1942.
Initially, the taste includes several flavors like cloves, cinnamon, cedarwood, orange peel and peat smoke and later transitions into more concentrated peat smoke, treacle, walnuts, cocoa, and rosin.
It is a complex beverage because of its unique combinations and subtle dark chocolate notes. The crystal decanter in the floral pattern has been handcrafted via cire perdue method and is considered exceptional, artistic, and expensive.
The Macallan M
The Macallan M at an estimated price tag of 628,205 US dollars is one of the most expensive whiskies in the world. It is a single bottle of 6-litre that is filled with superb and sophisticated whiskey.
The beautifully designed bottle is the result of a collaboration between designer Fabien Baron, Lalique crystal and brand Macmillan.
It is made from handcrafted crystal and took seventeen artisans to create. It has a crystal stopper and is later placed in a deluxe box so that it looks awesome and unique.
The Macallan M single-malt is an intense spirit that is aged in Spanish oak casks for 70 years. It is enriched with raisin flavor, and you can feel the fruity overtones and subtle taste of leather, violet, apple, cedar, and lemon.
This whiskey has an ABV of 44.7%. This single bottle was sold at an auction in Hong Kong.
The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old
The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old is one incredibly expensive whiskey. It fetched a whopping 1.1 million US dollars when it came under the hammer at Bonham’s whiskey sale in Edinburg, Scotland in October 2018.
The bottle was part of a limited edition series as only twenty-four bottles were ever released by the brand amongst which twelve were by Valerio Adami. The bottle is placed in a special cabinet to maintain its exclusivity. It was purchased directly from the Macallan distillery in the year 1994.
The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old was distilled in the year 1926 and bottled after sixty years in the year 1986, making it a very valuable and cherished beverage.
The whiskey is said to be exceptional as it is considered a unique blend of vintage and rarity.
This incredibly expensive whiskey bottle was designed and crafted by the well-known artist Valerio Adami, hence it bears his name on the bottle.
The Macallan 1926 60-year-old
The Macallan 1926 60-year-old was sold at a staggering amount of 1.5 million US dollars, breaking most previous records of the most expensive whiskey in the world.
At Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits auction organized by Christie’s Auction House in London, the premium bottle was sold on 29th November 2018. The Macallan 1926 60-year-old was part of the twenty-four bottle limited edition series. Half of them were designed by Valerio Adami and the other half by Peter Blake.
The ultra-rare beverage was distilled in the year 1926 and after 60 years bottled in the year 1986. It was aged for six decades in ex-sherry casks in the Macallan distillery in Scotland. The most expensive whiskey was filled in a unique bottle that was hand painted by renowned Irish origin artist Michael Dillon.
It was one of its kind because there is only one hand-painted Dillon bottle in the world. The makers of the whiskey guarantee an unusual experience to the person who drinks the whiskey.
According to their estimate, the flavours will be entirely concentrated with several aromas, and every sip will taste and smell unique and different.
Isabella’s Islay
At an estimated price tag of 6.2 million US dollars, Isabella’s Islay is the most expensive whiskey in the world. It is manufactured at the Island of Islay and gets the name because of that. The brand gives you the option of customizing the bottle and writing the owner’s name on it.
Isabella’s Islay is one of the finest whiskeys you will ever taste. It is made of the finest quality and rare ingredients. The single malt Islay Scotch Whiskey is 30-years-old and an incredible expression of Islay.
The bottle is a combination of artistic talent and superb craftsmanship, making it one of the best-designed beverage bottles in the world. It is filled with the exquisite and most expensive whiskey, which is as rare as the beverage.
The decanter was made in the year 2010 and is studded with three hundred rubies and eight thousand five hundred diamonds. The stopper is made from expensive white gold and the peak with the finest English crystal. It is one of the most coveted whiskeys in the world, hence the most expensive.
Ever since humans discovered the magic of fermentation and started making alcohol for consumption, the demand for them has only risen. Slowly but steadily, whiskey has toppled all the other spirits and firmly entrenched itself on top of the favourite alcoholic beverages list for most alcohol lovers. An expensive bottle of whiskey isn’t just a vessel to hold someone’s most cherished brew, it is also a collector’s item today. In fact, the prices of the most expensive whiskeys in the world put them into the “luxury goods” category. The wonderfully intricate and extravagant decanters add to the charm of the most expensive whiskeys in the world. And guess what, whiskey is also a great home remedy for toothaches.