London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

How good is the world's most expensive whisky?

A rare bottle of Scotch whisky hit the headlines this week after it was sold for a world record £1.45m at auction in London.

The Macallan 1926 60-year-old single malt from cask number 263 had been described by Sotheby's as the "holy grail" of whisky.

At more than £50,000 a dram, you might expect it to taste spectacular.

We tracked down one of the few people in the world to have tried the whisky to give us his verdict.

David Robertson tasted it a number of times between 1994 and 2000 when he was distillery manager and then master distiller at The Macallan.

Mr Robertson, who is now a co-director of whisky experts Rare Whisky 101 (RW101), recalls: "My boss and I were lucky enough to have a few samples in the nosing room that we had to ensure were 'ok'.

"From memory it was an incredibly rich, intense spirit - full of dried fruits, of prunes and dates and tons of incredible spicy notes of cloves, ginger and cinnamon.

"I also recall zesty orange marmalade, hints of peat and smoke, finished with a delicious drying oak tannin from the sherry cask, and waxy, linseed oil and leather notes."


And his overall verdict?

"It's a great whisky - but I've had better. The Macallan 1979 Gran Reserva, for example, was truly a stunning dram. There are other bottles from other distillers that are at least as good."


Facts about cask number 263

The Spanish oak sherry cask was distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986.

Only 40 bottles were produced.

Macallan commissioned pop artists Peter Blake and Valerio Adami to design labels for a limited edition of 24 bottles - 12 Adami and 12 Blake.

One bottle was hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon.

The rest of the bottles form part of The Macallan Fine and Rare Collection, which includes the Macallan 1926.

Experts believe at least one of the bottles has been consumed.

The new owner of the Macallan 1926, who has not been identified, may never get round to tasting this particular bottle.

RW101 co-director Andy Simpson says purchasers of rare whisky fall into three categories - the drinker, the investor and the collector.

Mr Simpson thinks it unlikely that the bottle was bought to be consumed, given its value.

Nor does he think an investor is behind the purchase.

He explains: "The investor is looking to leverage value in a bottle by buying low and selling high, which is clearly not the case here.

"In my opinion - and I could be wrong - this bottle was bought by a collector who simply didn't care about the price because they needed it to complete a collection."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×