Auction Update: E.H. Taylor Flipped, Tormore's new record, and Dalmore Constellation Shines

Welcome to the first auction update of 2026. We’ve hit the reset button after a remarkable 2025, and we’re looking forward to tracking the rarities that will come up for sale in 2026. Many online auctioneers paused for the holidays but kept live auctions running through the New Year, while Sotheby’s The Great American Whiskey Collection promises to be the most notable auction event of the month. Whisky Auctioneer has already delivered a crop of contenders for this month’s 20-highest hammer price list; Dalmore Constellation Collection 1964 46 year old achieved $67,622, the highest hammer price of the sale, but in addition, Macallan x Bentley Horizon took $33,811, and Samaroli Tormore 1966 Sherry Wood set a new distillery record with a winning bid of $27,049.

Elsewhere, Macallan Select Reserve 1946 52 year old fetched $16,839 at Whisky Online Auctions, and a bottle of Highland Park 50 year old 2018 Release, rated 95 points, sold for $15,736 at Whiskyauction.com. Soaring high above its estimate of $9,000–$12,000, Unicorn Auctions achieved a hammer price of $18,100 for a bottle of The Last Drop Buffalo Trace 1982 36 year old, and Good Bottle Auctions scored $1,400 for a bottle of E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond 2025 Release, one of a number of bottles from last year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection to have been sold by flippers since October.

Whisky Hammer – December 2025

Auction ended January 4^th

• Japanese: Yamazaki 1984, $9,826. Released to mark 25 years since the launch of Yamazaki as a single malt brand.
• Islands: Talisker 34 year old Cask No. 4982, $5,384. Distilled in 1975, only 250 bottles of this single cask Talisker were released in a distinctive boat-shaped cabinet.
• Campbeltown: Springbank 1966 Local Barley Cask No. 507, $6,125. This classic release was made from barley grown within eight miles of the distillery.

Unicorn Auctions – January 2026 Spirits

Auction ended January 4^th

• Bourbon: Michter’s Single Barrel 20 year old (2013 Release), $7,000. This was the top hammer price in this sale, but the value of this bottling is slowly declining.
• Highland: Casks of Distinction Brora 44 year old, $6,000. From Diageo’s Casks of Distinction program, this Highland single malt was distilled in 1977 and bottled in 2021.
• Islay: Bowmore 1956, $4,050. A vintage bottle of sherry cask-matured Islay whisky released during the Morrison Bowmore era.

Whisky Auctioneer – December 2025 Auction

Auction ended January 5^th

• Highland: Dalmore Constellation Collection 46 year old 1964, $67,622. Whisky Auctioneer last sold this edition for $95,453 in July 2025, when it set the highest hammer price.
• Speyside: Macallan The Red Collection 73 year old, $50,040. Distilled in 1950, this expression joined the Red Collection in 2024 at an original retail price of $82,500.
• Japanese: Hibiki 40 year old, $31,106. Suntory’s oldest blend to date was rated 96 points, and makes regular appearances in the 20-highest hammer prices of the month.

Lot of the Week

La Casa Cubana, tucked within Singapore’s Regent Hotel, has long been a haven for cigar and whisky aficionados. Under the stewardship of proprietor Jimmy Ng, the cigar lounge has released a series of private single-cask bottlings over the years, selected exclusively for his clientele in collaboration with distilleries such as Laphroaig, Fettercairn, and Macallan.

The label of this mature Speyside single malt is hand-signed by Ng alongside Ken Grier, Macallan’s former creative director, while the presentation box bears the signature of Bob Dalgarno, the distillery’s former master whisky maker. Drawn from a European oak single cask producing only 511 bottles, this whisky has surfaced only rarely at auction, suggesting that many bottles have already been opened and savored in the company of a fine Cuban cigar.

Lot: Macallan 23 year old for the Friends of La Casa Cubana Cask No. 27
Sold at: Whisky Auctioneer, January 5^th 2026
Hammer Price: $7,303

Upcoming Auctions

January 24^th, Sotheby’s, New York: The Great American Whiskey Collection

Sotheby’s kicks off 2026 with the most valuable single-owner collection of American whiskey ever to come to auction. Attendance is by invitation only, and lots include Old Rip Van Winkle 20 year old Single Barrel for Sam’s Wine & Spirits, bottled in 1982 and signed by Julian Van Winkle III (Est. $70,000–$100,000).

January 27^th, Christie’s, New York: Fine & Rare Wine & Spirits Online

Following the grand reopening of Christie’s New York site and the sale of the world’s oldest ever whisky at auction in November, Christie’s first online New York Wine & Spirits sale of 2026 will take place from January 13th to 27th, and features a wide range of Macallan, Brora, Port Ellen, and Pappy Van Winkle expressions.