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Looking back over the whisky auctions of 2023 there were some spectacular bottles sold, some amazing new records set, and the first-ever bottle of whisky to sell for more than $2 million. Our regular auction coverage includes the monthly 20-highest hammer prices for single bottles of whisky sold at auction, and the bottles below represent the highest 20 hammer prices of the 240 bottles that made the 12 lists for 2023.
The whiskies come from seven distilleries in Scotland and Japan, with scotch securing the top three places on the list. Nine of the bottles came from Macallan, including four sales of Macallan The Reach 81 year old, the oldest-ever whisky released at the time of writing. Yamazaki 55 year old is currently the oldest Japanese whisky in the world, and sales of this bottle made two of the brand’s four bottles on the list. Bowmore had three entries this year, with STAC 55 year old and ARC-52 The Mokume Edition both representing one-off bottlings consigned straight to auction. As we look ahead to 2024, we can reveal the highest 20 hammer prices of last year.
20. Macallan Genesis in Lalique 72 year old
Sold on: January 9th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $84,810
19. Bowmore ARC–52
Sold on: February 6th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $102,660
18. Glenturret Eight Decades by James Turrell
Sold on: December 9th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $160,000
17. Macallan Fine & Rare 1957 15 year old
Sold on: May 11th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $160,000
16. Macallan The Reach 81 year old
Sold on: December 12th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $161,810
15. Bowmore Arc-52 The Mokume Edition
Sold on: May 26th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $185,087
14. Yamazaki 50 year old 2nd Release
Sold on: November 24th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $198,887
13. Macallan Distil Your World New York Single Cask Edition
Sold on: February 10th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $200,000
12. Glen Grant The Visionary 1955 68 year old
Sold on: October 5th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $206,863
11. Macallan The Reach 81 year old 1940
Sold on: July 13th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $222,60610. Macallan The Reach 81 year old
Sold on: June 5th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $223,861
9. Macallan The Red Collection 60 year old
Sold on: August 13th at Scotch Whisky Auctions
Hammer price: $258,992
8. Karuizawa 1960 52 year old Cask No. 5627 Daikoku God
Sold on: November 11th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $298,251
7. Yamazaki 55 year old
Sold on: December 12th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $324,6206. Yamazaki 55 year old
Sold on: March 14th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $343,129
5. Brora Iris 1972 50 year old
Sold on: October 5th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $389,389
4. Yamazaki 50 year old First Release
Sold on: April 5th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $484,0683. Macallan The Reach 81 year old
Sold: April 1st at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $484,084
2. Bowmore STAC 1962 55 year old
Sold on: October 5th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $547,57
1. Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60 year old
Sold on: November 18th at Sotheby’s
Hammer price: $2,179,927
