THE MACALLAN FINE & RARE 60 YEAR OLD 42.6 ABV 1926

THE MACALLAN FINE & RARE 60 YEAR OLD 42.6 ABV 1926 

Cask number 263, distilled in 1926, bottled in 1986, slightly scuffed vintage slip label, Russian importer’s slip label on top of capsule, very slightly worn owc

The Macallan has verified the unique bottle code “eh742b”, as well as other specific attributes of the bottle’s appearance. The bottle format of 700ml has also been verified

1 bt 70cl (owc)

Sotheby’s is proud to present The Macallan Fine and Rare 60 Year Old 1926 at auction, for the second time. Distilled over 90 years ago and aged in European Oak for 60 years, this is one of only 40 bottles that Macallan has confirmed were produced from Cask 263 in 1986.

LABELS

Of the 40 bottles drawn, not all received the Fine and Rare label and packaging. 12 were labelled by Pop Artist Sir Peter Blake, whose work saw the most notable events from this year in the roaring 20s depicted in black and white sketches and photography. A further 12 bottles had their labels designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami.

Two bottles from cask 263 were released with no labels at all, the first at auction in 2001 and the second at auction in 2002, both at McTear’s, Glasgow. Of these two unlabelled bottles, one was hand painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon, a creation that saw Macallan’s own Easter Elchies House immortalised onto the bottle by Dillon’s brushstrokes. This bottle was sold in 2018 for the world record price, as detailed below. The other unmarked bottle is so far unaccounted for.

Therefore, the logical assumption is that only a maximum 14 remaining bottles could be decorated with the iconic Fine and Rare labels. This is one of those bottles.

PRICES

The Macallan Fine and Rare 60 Year Old 1926 has always been recognized as being the most sought-after Scotch whisky, as illustrated by the following prices:

1980s

In 1987 a Guinness record was set for “The World’s Most Expensive Spirit”, when a bottle was sold in New York for £5,000.

1990s

Two bottles were sold at auction:

In 1991 a Sir Peter Blake labelled bottle in Glasgow for £6,375

In 1996 a Valerio Adami labelled bottle in London for £12,000

2000s

As mentioned above, the two unlabelled bottles were sold by McTear’s in Glasgow:

In 2001 for £15,000 

In 2002 for £20,150

And:

In 2007 a Fine & Rare labelled bottle at Christies in New York for £45,293 / USD $54,000

2018

In 2018, 5 bottles were sold, breaking the world record price three times:

In March a Sir Peter Blake labelled bottle at Bonham’s in Edinburgh for £615,062 / US$766,762

In May a Sir Peter Blake labelled bottle at Bonham’s in Hong Kong for £816,983 / US$1,108,485

In May a Valerio Adami labelled bottle at Bonham’s in Hong Kong for £886,112 / US$1,1054,664

In October a Valerio Adami labelled bottle at Bonham’s in Edinburgh £848,750 / US$1,058,087 In October a Sir Peter Blake labelled bottle at Sotheby’s in New York £638,159 / US$843,200

In November the Michael Dillon labelled bottle at Christie’s in London for £1,200,000 / US$1,495,970.

2019

In 2019, 1 bottle has been sold:

In March a Sir Peter Blake labelled bottle at Bonham’s in Edinburgh for £615,062 / US$766,762

This is the second bottle to be offered this year

FINE & RARE

This bottle of The Macallan 60 Year Old 1926 is the first with the Fine and Rare label to be seen at auction in over a decade. The 4th iteration from this inimitable cask is required to complete both a full collection from Cask 263 and a Fine and Rare vertical.

As the figurehead of the vast and highly sought after Macallan Fine and Rare series, the 1926’s rarity is supported by its quality, with 60 years of Sherry Cask ageing giving it its dark colouring and rich character.

This is the most iconic of all bottles of Scotch whisky, the essential centrepiece of any great collection and, for whomever opens the bottle and enjoys it with their friends, perhaps savouring it over time, with the potential to have over forty-five 15ml pours, this bottle provides the ultimate opportunity to taste the “holy grail” of all whiskies – a once in a lifetime experience.