The Whisky advocate website summarizes the 2021 whisky auction list, which showcases the top 20 whiskies in the auction price in 2021, which does not include barrel auctions and multi-bottle auctions, and does not include a buyer's premium for the winning hammer price.
Half of the whiskies on this list are from McAllen, as well as other blended/single malt Scotch whiskies, rye, bourbon, Irish and Japanese whiskies that appear on the list.
20th place
Modishi 25 years of rye
Unicorn Auctions
December 19
$21,000
A rare 25-year-old rye bourbon whisky with flavours of vanilla, coffee, orange, dried fruit and pepper, this whisky once again broke a new world record at unicorn Auctions in Chicago.
19th place
James MacArthur 12 year old (distilled at Port Ellen)
Whiskyauction.com
May 3
USD 25,469
The original wine is distilled in Porter Allen and is available as a barrel strong wine with an alcohol content of 59% abv.
18th
Karuizawa Ruby Geisha 34 Years (Cask No. 3668)
Speyside Whisky Auctions
October 24
USD 33,019
Karuizawa has long been one of collectors' favorite brands, and with an alcohol content of 58.5% abv, it has notes of sherry, oak and spices.
17th
Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Ultra Glenlivet 70yo
McTear's Auctioneers
October 22
USD 35,752
The original wine comes from glenvert distilled on January 14, 1943, matured in shirley pig's head barrels, with an alcohol content of 49.1% abv. Bottled by Gordon McPhail, part of the Private Collection Ultra series, the collection also contains the Lincolnwood 60 Years distilled in 1956 and the Sister Barrel Langmore 57 Years distilled in 1961.
16th place
Midleton Very Rare 1988
Irish Whiskey Auctions
March 21
USD 36,286
The Middleton Vey Rare series produced less in some years, such as 2009 and 2020, so the auction price was much higher, but 1988 was arguably one of the rarest batches.
15th place
Macallan Millennium 50yo
Acker Auctions
April 23
USD 37,367
The original wine came from McAllen, distilled in 1949 and bottled in 1999, with McAllen releasing 900 bottles to celebrate the coming of the millennium.
14th
Old Rip Van Winkle 23 year old Decanter
Kentucky Bourbon Benefit
December 21
USD 44,000
Distilled in 1986, this bourbon was selected by Julian and Preston Van Winkle in a limited edition of 114 bottles.
13th place
Macallan Anniversary Malt 50 year old
Hart Davis Hart
March 26
USD 70,000
It sold for more than $100,000 last year, has an alcohol content of 38.5% abv and is limited to 500 bottles.
12th place
Macallan 78 year old The Red Collection
Whisky Online Auctions
February 17
USD 75,869
Sarah Burgess, McAllen's chief bartender, created this whisky, which is part of the oldest of the Red Collection's six models, which has an alcohol content of 42.2% abv.
11th place
Macallan in Lalique 72 year old
Scotch Whisky Auctions
April 4
USD 80,217
10th place
Grand Whisky Auction
Sold on August 16
USD 81,715
Distilled in the 1940s with an alcohol content of 42% abv, the bottle is made of Lalique crystal and housed in a handmade wine box designed by Burgess Studio and created by NEJ Stevenson.
The Macallan Genesis Lalique is the second version released by the distillery, and to celebrate the opening of the £140 million McAllen distillery, limited to 600 bottles, this Lalique crystal design bottle gives the winery a curved wooden roof derived from the winery's interior, with a sweet and strong oak and peat scent.
9th place
Macallan The Red Collection 78yo
Whisky.Auction
November 9
USD 86,714
8th place
Just Whisky
February 22
USD 89,011
The 78-year-old single malt whisky, part of The Red Collection, was bottled in 2020 with an alcohol content of 42.2% abv.
This is the second Macallan whisky from This year's The Red Collection collection, which represents the natural red color of the Macallan body, as well as the story of founder Alexander Reed (the Scottish surname Reed means "red"), as well as a tribute to the old-fashioned Macallan bottles tied around the early 20th century.
7th place
Macallan in Lalique 62 year old
Poly Auction
December 2
USD 93,669
First released in 2014, it is limited to 400 bottles. The bottle design was inspired by the Macallan Home Easter Elchies House, and the caption of Captain John Grant can be seen in the middle of the bottle, carved in imitation of a stele, the bottle body represents the wall of the manor building, and the neck pays homage to the stepped gable with chimneys.
6th place
Old Ingledew
Skinner
June 30
USD 110,000
The carbon-14 test dates from 1763 to 1803 (53.1% probability) and the bottle is similar in style from 1840 to 1870, which is perhaps one of the oldest surviving whiskies, and the auction day soared to three times the estimated price.
5th place
Macallan in Lalique 50 year old
Bonhams
May 21
USD 122,358
This is the first McCarran Lalique crystal, bottled in 2005, limited to 470 bottles worldwide, aged for decades in sherry barrels, and like the old Macallan in the early or mid-20th century, the aftertaste has a faint smoky peat and an alcohol content of 46% abv.
4th place
Springbank 50 year old 1919
Christie’s
December 3
USD 194,500
The whisky, which held the Guinness World Record for the world's most expensive whisky, was introduced to the market in 1989 as its fourth bottle, distilled in 1919 and bottled in 1970, limited to 24 bottles with an alcohol content of 37.8% abv.
3rd place
Bowmore Onyx 51 year old 1970
Sotheby’s
USD 423,401
The highest price per bottle sold at Sotheby's auction in 2021 is a whisky specially created for The Distillers One of One's charity auction, a 1.4-litre hand-blown bottle inspired by the rugged landscape of Islay Island.
Distilled in 1970 with an alcohol content of 48% abv, matured in American oak barrels aged 51 years, barrels stored in Bowmore® No. 1 Vaults, the warehouse is located below sea level, with fresh fruit, stewed peach, menthol, eucalyptus, peat smoke, cedar wood, caramel, wood aromas, taste of fruit, spices, tobacco, earth, walnut.
2nd place
Yamazaki 55 years old
Whisky Hammer
November 28
USD 506,953
This is currently the oldest Japanese single malt whisky, aged in 1960 Mizunara barrels and white oak barrels. The bottle uses the traditional Japanese technique of painting, sprinkling gold powder on lacquerware to decorate the carved "55", and is bound with handmade Echizen washi paper, which is tied with Kyo-kumihimo, a traditional Kyoto craft, and then loaded into a display box made of native Japanese water lintel wood.
There are 200 bottles in total, the first 100 bottles were sold in the 2020 lottery and the names of the winners are engraved on the bottles, and the remaining 100 bottles are released worldwide in 2021.
1st place
Macallan Fine & Rare 60 year old 1926
Whisky Auctioneer
USD 1,407,291
Launched in 2002, the Fine & Rare collection represents The McAllen's best vintage whisky, a bottle of 1926 vintage a little later, with only 12 bottles left, and the distillery wanted to offer this to special customers at first.
The McAllen was the only $2021 million-dollar whisky and set a new auction record at the $10 million Perfect Collection auction, winning 31 percent more than the highest bottle sold in 2020 but not setting a new world record.
The above is the top 20 whiskies sold at auction in 2021, most of the whiskies have been heard, McAllen still occupies most of the positions, but like Yamazaki, Middleton, Genting, etc. are also frequently present at the auction site, especially the top three can be said to be not unexpected.
And through the overall trend we can also see that the value of the whisky collection is also rising steadily, the auction record was once broken, and the list is only a single bottle record, in 2021 there are many excellent whisky sets and barrels also performed amazingly at the auction site, I don't know what kind of surprises this year's whisky auction will bring us?
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