10 Most Expensive Macallan Whiskeys to Buy (+ Auction Results)

The Macallan is one of the most sought-after brands among whiskey collectors.

For example, the worlds most expensive whisky ever sold at an auction is the 1926 Macallan Fine whiskey — a rare bottle with an auction record of $1.9 million (2019).

Meanwhile, the most expensive Macallan whiskey you can buy today is the Macallan 'The Red Collection' 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This drink costs around $506,381 per bottle.

Let’s explore 10 of the most expensive Macallan whiskeys you can buy, five premium Macallan whiskeys sold at auction houses, and what makes Macallan whiskeys investment-worthy. 

You’ll also discover how to invest in rare whisky casks through Whiskeyvest. 

10 of the Most Expensive Macallan Whiskies to Buy Now

From the Macallan Lalique to the Red Collection, here are the 10 most expensive Macallan bottles to check out:

1. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
2. The Macallan 'The Reach' 81 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
3. The Macallan Lalique 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
4. The Macallan Lalique 57 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
5. The Macallan Lalique 55 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
6. The Macallan Anniversary Malt 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
7. The Macallan Lalique IV 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
8. The Macallan Lalique 62 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
9. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 71 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
10. The Macallan Lalique 72 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

1. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($506,381)

This single malt Scotch whiskey is part of the prestigious Macallan Red Collection. 

The Red Collection celebrates the wide range of red colors found naturally in The Macallan. 

For example, this color was used extensively in the ribbons used on the distillery’s vintage releases in the 1980s. Interestingly, the distillery was founded by Alexander Reid — whose surname means “the red-haired one.”

This 60-year-old Macallan Scotch whiskey offers the sweet aromas of baked peach and pineapple and the tasting notes of antique oak, papaya, and mango. 

2. The Macallan 'The Reach' 81-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($314,653) 

According to Jonny Fowle (Sotheby’s head of whisky), ‘age, rarity, and provenance’ are some of the factors that make this whiskey bottle exceptional. 

Macallan The Reach was distilled in 1940 and bottled in February 2022 (after aging for 81 years). It’s currently the world’s oldest whisky in terms of the time spent aging in casks.

The whiskey comes in a unique mouth-blown decanter comprising a trio of bronze hand sculptures.

This expensive bottle opens with a nose of chocolate, sweet cinnamon, and peat scents. It has an earthy-sweet palate of toffee, smoky pineapple, and ginger. 

3. The Macallan Lalique 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($300,000)

This expensive whisky was the first release of the Macallan distillery’s anniversary range, The Six Pillars Collection. 

This collection is a tribute to the Macallan Six Principles, which are used for crafting exceptional single malt whiskeys. These principles include high-quality oak casks, natural color, and more.

The Six Pillars collection also marks the collaboration between the Macallan distillery and the French glassmaker, Lalique. Interestingly, the Lalique decanter used for bottling this single malt whisky was inspired by the exceptional Macallan oak casks.

This rare bottle offers an intoxicating nose of cardamom and maraschino cherry, offset by dark chocolate and prune flavors. 

4. The Macallan Lalique 57 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($210,000)

This single malt whisky is presented in a Lalique decanter that resembles a perfume stilligoutte. 

It also comes with a pointed stopper that represents Macallan’s Finest Cut. (The finest cut refers to Macallan’s careful selection of its new-make spirits, which helps add richness to its whiskey.) 

This expensive bottle opens with signature Macallan flavors of dried fruit, wood spice, and soft peat. 

5. The Macallan Lalique 55-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($192,886)

This amber-hued Scotch whiskey was the second release of The Macallan Lalique Collection. 

It comes in a Lalique decanter designed by Rene Lalique, which was inspired by the Paquerettes tiara perfume bottle. In honor of Macallan's natural whiskey color (amber hue), the crystal decanter is amber hue in color. 

Besides its exotic nose of sweet dried fruits and subtle notes of peat smoke, this rare whiskey reveals a spicy palate of sun-dried raisins and orange zest.

6. The Macallan Anniversary Malt 50-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($190,000)

This legendary whiskey was produced from three casks — one cask from 1926 and two from 1928. 

This Macallan whisky opens with a nose of peat smoke and vanilla aromas. Its palate boasts vanilla oak and chocolate fudge tasting notes.

7. The Macallan Lalique IV 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky: ($173,908)

The Macallan Lalique 60 year old whiskey comes bottled in the ‘Curiously Small Stills’ decanter. 

This round, kettle-like crystal rare bottle pays homage to the famed Macallan small copper stills. (A copper still is the apparatus used to distill alcohol. A small-sized copper still creates a full-bodied new spirit.)

These small stills are one of the six principles the Macallan distillery uses to craft remarkable single malt whiskeys.

This expensive whisky has a complex nose of cinnamon and lemon and delectable tasting notes of citrus with smoky peat hints.

8. The Macallan Lalique 62 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($160,000)

This single malt whisky was released in 2011, and only 400 bottles were produced.

The whisky bottle’s shape was inspired by Macallan’s home, the Easter Elchies House. This house was built in 1700 for Captain John Grant, the gentleman who paved the way for the Macallan. 

The decanter's Art Nouveau-style frosted surface represents the manor's façade (the front part or exterior of a building). Its neck pays homage to the gable that leads up to the chimney.

This amber spirit offers an exquisite bouquet with blood orange and cinnamon notes, accompanied by the tasting notes of fig and mocha chocolate flavors. 

9. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 71 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($147,357)

This 750ml bottle of rare whisky from the Macallan Red Collection was matured for 71 years in sherry-seasoned casks and barrels.

Aging the whisky in an oak cask added rich woody aromas to this expensive bottle. It’s exquisite flavor profile consists of creamy vanilla and treacle tart notes. 

10. The Macallan Lalique 72 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky: ($141,497)

This spirit and its decanter honor Macallan’s brand-new distillery and visitor experience.   

This 750ml bottle of Macallan whiskey opens with a refreshing nose of green apple and lemon aromas. On the palate, it offers peat and vanilla flavors, underscored by gentle wood and spice notes. 

Now, let’s check out some auction results.

5 of the Most Expensive Macallan Whiskies Sold At Auctions

Some of the most expensive Macallan whiskey bottles sold at auction events are:

1. 1926 The Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Single Malt Scotch Whisky
2. Macallan 1989 The Intrepid 32 Year Old
3. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
4. The Macallan Sir Peter Blake Single Malt Scotch Whisky
5. The Macallan 'M' Single Malt Scotch Whisky

1. The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare Vintage Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($1.5 million)

The Macallan Michael Dillon, a bottle from the 1926 Macallan lot, was the first whiskey bottle to sell for more than $1 million. It went under the hammer for an astounding $1.5 million at a November 2018 Christie’s auction in the United Kingdom.

This expensive whisky bottle’s design was hand painted by the renowned Irish artist Michael Dillon. The Macallan Michael Dillon label beautifully depicts the Easter Elchies House (Macallan’s home) in stunning detail.

The entire set of 460 bottles from the 1926 Macallan lot was sold for about $10 million.

The most expensive whisky ever sold at an auction is one of the 1926 Macallan Fine whiskeys. The 60 Year Old  Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare bottle sold for $1.9 million at a Sotheby’s London auction in 2019.

Previously, the Macallan 64 Year Old Lalique Cire Perdue held a Guinness World Record for the most expensive whisky sold at an auction. It was sold for $460,000 at a Sotheby’s New York auction in 2010. 

2. Macallan 1989 The Intrepid 32 Year Old ($1.4 million) 

This drink was aged for 32 years — making it the youngest-aged whiskey on the list.  

So, what makes it special?

This big bottle of whiskey is around 6 feet tall and contains at least 86 gallons of Macallan whisky. That’s nearly 444 normal-sized whiskey bottles!

It holds the Guinness World Record for the single, largest Scotch whiskey bottle ever produced. This whiskey was sold in 2022 for a whopping $1.4 million. 

3. The Macallan 'The Red Collection' 60 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($1.07 million)

This 60 year old Macallan Valerio Adami whiskey was distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986. The label of this Macallan whisky bottle was designed by the famed Italian painter, Valerio Adami. 

Interestingly, Valerio Adami only designed labels for 12 bottles in the Macallan Red Collection. 

The bottles in the Macallan Valerio Adami rare collection fetch high prices at auctions. One bottle sold for an astounding $1.07 million at a Bonhams auction in October 2018.

4. The Macallan Sir Peter Blake Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($1.014 million)

The prestigious Macallan Peter Blake Scotch whiskey was distilled in 1926 and released in 1986. 

12 bottles of this whiskey lot were signed by the pop artist, Sir Peter Blake and Mr. Allan Shiach, the former chairman of Macallan. 

These expensive whiskey bottles fetch high values at auction houses. In 2018, a Macallan Peter Blake bottle was auctioned off for $1.014 million at a Bonhams auction.  

5. The Macallan 'M' Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($964,200)

The Macallan M is made in collaboration with Lalique and the renowned designer Fabien Baron. 

This rare whiskey is bottled in a vessel designed by Fabien Baron and crafted by Lalique. The six-sided Macallan M bottle was created using hand-blown glass and pays homage to the six principles (the Six Pillars) of the Macallan Distillery.  

Now for the big question:

What Makes Macallan Whiskey Expensive and Investment-Worthy?

From offering labels designed by the Irish artist Michael Dillon to breaking auction records, Macallan truly goes all out to make its whiskey exclusive.

Besides the whiskey’s age, rarity, and high-quality casks, here are some factors that contribute to its price and make this drink investment-worthy:

• Best Barley: Macallan uses high-quality barley (like the Golden Promise) that’s difficult to procure.  

For a more exclusive rare collection, Macallan uses a proportion of barley from its own estate, which costs around $250 per proportion.

• Curiously Small Stills: The distillery uses the smallest pot stills in the industry. This way, the alcohol vapor doesn’t travel far during distillation — resulting in heavier and more flavorsome alcohol. 

Small pot stills produce whiskey in small quantities compared to column stills. So, that’s why Macallan’s whiskies are often rare. Also, the pot stills need regular cleaning after each batch — making the whole process costly.  

• Finely Cut Distillate: Ideally, during the distillation process, alcohol should be collected closer to the pot’s center. That’s because alcohol from farther out (away from the center) may have elements that could affect the whisky flavor. 

Small pot stills already produce alcohol in low quantities. Meanwhile, Macallan only uses a small percentage of alcohol from the center. This means the Macallan distillery produces extremely low quantities of whiskey — making the drinks expensive.

Also, Macallan whiskeys have good price appreciation results:

• The price of the Macallan Lalique 50 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky increased by 46% — from $193,095 in January 2022 to $281,677 in February 2023.
• The price of the 1991 Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Single Malt Scotch Whiskey shot up by over 88% — from $12,018 in April 2021 to $22,675 in April 2022.

There’s no denying that these single malt whiskey bottles are excellent collectibles. 

But investing in a whisky cask can be much easier and more rewarding than investing in bottles. 

Wondering why?

Usually, a whiskey cask is bought young and will mature for a long time. This means you’ll see a significant price increment, especially after 10-20 years. That’s because, as a general rule, the oldest whisky usually fetches the highest price. 

In fact, a Forbes report states that whiskey casks have consistently delivered average annual returns of  8-12% in the last decade.

So how do you invest in a whiskey cask?

Invest in the Rarest Whiskey Casks through Whiskeyvest!

If you want to create an enviable portfolio of different casks, such as a Japanese whiskey or an Irish whiskey cask, then Whiskeyvest is your answer. 

The AI-driven platform lets you invest in the most expensive whiskey casks from labels like Hanyu Ichiro, Johnnie Walker, Macallan, and more. 

A few benefits of investing through Whiskeyvest are:

• Your whisky cask assets are authenticated, stored, and insured by experts. 
• You can sample your whiskey once a year.
• You don’t have to worry about storage because the whiskey casks are kept in bonded warehouses maintained by experts.

So, what are you waiting for?

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