Auction Update: Prices Show Downturn From 2024

When it comes to filling February’s list of the 20-highest hammer prices, two auction houses have been at the center of the action so far. Unicorn Auctions in Chicago had offered high-value bottles in each of the first two weeks of the month, starting with two Macallan Fine & Rare bottlings—a 1951 50 year old whose winning bid went to $36,900, and a 1948 53 year old that sold for $36,200. It followed this up a week later with a private barrel selection bottling of Willett 23 year old rye that sold for $17,300, and the week after, a bottle of LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old sold for $32,900.

The climax of the Whisky Auctioneer sale saw numerous high-value bottles meet their reserve prices, and while it was Macallan that rose to the top, prices were down compared to last year. Macallan The Red Collection 60 year old achieved the highest hammer price of the month so far with a bid of $95,334. A year ago in February 2024, this expression took the highest hammer price of the month with a bid of $162,889. There was also a rare sale of a bottle of Macallan 1949 Tales of the Macallan Volume 2 for $58,810. This was released a year ago with a suggested retail price of $89,000, and while it has appeared at auction before, it has never exceeded its retail value. One of the most interesting multi-bottle lots in the sale was a vertical of 27 vintage Macallan bottles from 1960–1986, many of them Italian imports. Bidding came close to $75,000, valuing these bottles at approximately $2,750 each, but sadly, the set failed to meet its reserve. Just like at Unicorn Auctions, what interested collectors were the Macallan Fine & Rare editions: a 1950 52 year old fetched $35,286, a 1979 40 year old went for $18,571, and both a 1977 40 year old and a 1978 39 year old made $17,952 each. February may be a short month, but there are still plenty of incredible bottles up for sale before March begins.

Whiskyauction.com 2025-02

Auction ended February 1st

• Scotch: Cadenhead’s Laphroaig 1970 14 year old, $9,208. An independent cask strength bottling of the peaty Islay single malt, released in 1984.
• Japanese: Karuizawa 1973 Vintage Cask No. 1607, $6,423. A 2013 single cask expression from Number One Drinks Co., bottled at a mighty 67.7%.
• Bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 23 year old, $3,626. A 2015 bottling produced at Buffalo Trace distillery.

Unicorn Auctions January No Reserves II

Auction ended February 3rd

• Scotch: Macallan Fine & Rare 1951 50 year old, $36,900. One of two Macallan Fine & Rare editions that topped this sale; the other was a 53 year old distilled in 1948.
• Bourbon: Eagle Rare 25 year old (2024 Release), $17,800. So far, Unicorn Auctions has been the main portal for Eagle Rare 25 year old on the secondary market.
• Japanese: Yamazaki 18 year old Mizunara 100th Anniversary Limited Edition, $1,450. This 95-point Japanese single malt sold for close to its original retail value, but hasn’t increased in value.

Whisky Auctioneer January 2025 Auction

Auction ended February 10^th

• Scotch: Macallan The Red Collection 60 year old, $95,334. This edition made four appearances in the 20-highest hammer prices of 2024.
• Japanese: Hibiki 40 year old, $27,857. Two bottles of Hibiki 40 year old achieved the same price in this sale, aiming to keep Hibiki 40 year old in our list of the 20-highest hammer prices for the fourth consecutive month.
• Bourbon: Michter’s 25 year old Single Barrel Rye 2011 Release, $12,412. This bottle sold after two previous attempts, despite a higher bid in January.

Lot of the Week

When collectors think about closed distillery single malt scotch, their first thought is often for Brora, Port Ellen, and Rosebank; all now re-built and fully operational again. The remaining 20^th century closed distilleries are much less known, but vital knowledge for connoisseurs who want to own or taste scotch from every distillery. Within the hierarchy of valuable closed distillery bottlings on the secondary market, there are super-rare bottlings that can go years between auction appearances. This single cask single malt from a closed Lowland distillery, one of 64 bottles released in 1996, is one such expression. Bottled at 32 years old, this independent bottling of Kinclaith from refill sherry hogshead No. 100572 carries Ian Urquhart’s signature, the former Gordon & MacPhail managing director who died in 2024. Kinclaith Distillery commenced operations in 1957, a distillery within a distillery, installed inside the Strathclyde grain distillery in Glasgow. It’s one of a number of short-lived malt facilities built within larger grain distilleries, such as Glen Flagler, Ben Wyvis, and Ladyburn, that closed during the 1970s.

Lot: Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Kinclaith 1963Sold at: Scotch Whisky Auctions, February 9^th
Hammer Price: $1,985

Upcoming Auctions

February 27^th, Bonhams Skinner, Massachusetts: The Art of Blending: Whisky Beyond Its Elements sale is led by a bottle of Hibiki 40 year old.

March 11^th, Bonhams, Edinburgh: The Rare & Refined sale opens for bidding on February 24^th, and includes a bottle of Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach 1938 70 year old and a bottle of Bowmore 1965 52 year old.

March 21st, Sotheby’s, New York: The Whisky & Whiskey sale opens for bidding on March 6^th.