Auction Update: 20 Highest Single Bottle Hammer Prices for March

Macallan dominated the auction scene in March, highlighted by the sale of the oldest Macallan to date. The combined value of the 20-highest single bottles of whisky, 11 of which were Macallan, was $764,638. Macallan TIMESPACE 1940 84 year old set the highest hammer price of the month, with Sotheby’s, Hong Kong securing its first sale at auction. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, 60 bottles from 19 brands have made the lists, selling for a combined hammer price of $2.2 million.

Although Macallan has taken a significant lead over its American whiskey rivals, it might have gone higher still. A bottle of Macallan The Reach 81 year old, previously the oldest Macallan to sell at auction, failed to reach the asking price at The Grand Whisky Auction, despite bids of over $93,000. Macallan TIMESPACE was also on track not to sell until Sotheby’s dropped the asking price by HK$100,000 in the final hours of the sale. It originally retailed for $190,000 in September 2024. After several attempts with different auction houses over the past 18 months, Macallan TIMESPACE’s hammer price is $87,914 (46.3%) lower than its release price. Meanwhile, Whisky Auctioneer is offering a bottle of the current world’s oldest whisky, Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old from Glenlivet Distillery, in its March auction.

Two bottles, previously sold at the Distillers One of One 2023 auction by Sotheby’s, resurfaced this month. It’s rare to ever spot these one-off charity creations back at auction, especially within a few years of their original sale. The Grand Whisky Auction offered Old Pulteney Bow Wave 45 year old (which sold for $66,926 in October 2023); bidding reached $40,000, but it failed to sell. The same auction house also offered the MacDuff 1971 52 year old (which sold for a hammer price of $15,819 in October 2023); this time bidding stalled at around $8,000, and it also did not sell.

Sotheby’s sales in Hong Kong and New York accounted for 70% of the 20-highest single bottle sales in March. Bidding in New York was intense for Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 64 year old, originally released in 2001, which achieved a hammer price of $75,000. A two-gallon carboy of Plankinton Reserve Cedar Brook Whiskey 1903 also made the list after a bidding frenzy saw it sell for a hammer price of $42,000. Complete with its original straw-lined box and sealed with a driven cork, this was distilled in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and bottled in 1915 for the Plankinton House Hotel in Milwaukee. It’s a significant result as Christie’s had previously sold three of these bottles between 2016 and 2019, and none achieved a hammer price above $7,000.

March 2026 –20 Highest Single Bottle Hammer Prices

Results converted to dollars using xe.com

20. Macallan Fine & Rare 1938 35 year old
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $22,000

19. Old Rip Van Winkle 25 year old Decanter
Sold on: March 22^nd at Unicorn Auctions
Hammer price: $23,000

18. Macallan 40 year old 2016 Release
Sold on: March 26^th at WVA Whisky Auctions
Hammer price: $23,363

17. Karuizawa 1965 50 year old Monyou Edition Cask No. 8636
Sold on: March 18^th at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Hammer price: $24,246

16. Macallan Distil your World Hong Kong Single Cask No. 8325
Sold on: March 18^th at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Hammer price: $24,246

15. Macallan The Red Collection 50 year old
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $26,000

14. Karuizawa 1964 48 year old Wealth Solutions
Sold on: March 8^th at Scotch Whisky Auctions
Hammer price: $26,825

13. Bowmore 1964 46 year old Fino Sherry Cask
Sold on: March 18^th at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Hammer price: $28,075

12. Corti Brothers Van Winkle Special Reserve 1975 19 year old
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $28,000

11. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 24 year old Barrel No. 2
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $30,000

10. Macallan 52 year old 2018 Release
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $32,000

9. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 24 year old Barrel No. 4
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $35,000

8. Macallan in Lalique 65 year oldSold on: March 9^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $39,383

7. Macallan 1950 71 year old Tales of the Macallan Volume I
Sold on: March 9^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $40,187

6. Plankinton Reserve Cedar Brook Whiskey 1903
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $42,000

5. Macallan Fine & Rare 1972 29 year old Cask No. 4043
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $45,000

4. Macallan The Red Collection 78 year old
Sold on: March 9^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $48,224

3. Macallan Fine & Rare 1937 32 year old
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $50,000

2. Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 64 year old
Sold on: March 27^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $75,000

1. Macallan TIMESPACE 1940 84 year old
Sold on: March 18^th at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong
Hammer price: $102,089

Each month, we publish the 20-highest hammer prices for single bottles of whisky. This table ranks the 20 brands by the sum of their 20-highest hammer prices and shows the latest month’s results.