Auction Update: Mid-November Results

Glenlivet is having a moment. Riding high after the record sale of its SPIRA 1965 60 year old in October, a likely unassailable highest hammer price of the year, two rare Glenlivet whiskies are vying for the 20-highest hammer prices of this month. First, Glenlivet dropped its second one-of-one release in as many months with Glenlivet 56 year old, the second release in the Eternal Collection. Sold in partnership with Sotheby’s, London, the gold-plated 700-ml decanter of Speyside single malt is not a single cask expression; rather, it’s a bespoke assemblage of aged Glenlivet. Initially matured in bourbon casks, it was finished in a sherry butt seasoned with a blend of oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, and palo cortado sherries. Carrying an age statement just four years younger than the 1.5-liter SPIRA that sold for $693,682, Glenlivet 56 year old is expected to sell for $46,000–$92,000. The first release with Sotheby’s, last year’s Glenlivet 55 year old 200^th Anniversary Edition one-of-one release, sold for a hammer price of $54,660 in November 2024, clinching the third-highest hammer price of the month. For Glenlivet collectors seeking statement pieces, however, there’s competition. Bidding has opened at Christie’s, New York on bottle No. 1 of Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old from Glenlivet Distillery, currently the oldest whisky on earth. Nearly three decades older than the 56 year old, it carries estimates of $160,000–$300,000, and its sale will make history as the oldest whisky ever sold at auction. The Christie’s auction takes place one day after the Sotheby’s sale, and both whiskies in November’s Glenlivet showdown come with once-in-a-lifetime tasting experiences.

Unicorn Auctions is selling the first bottle of Very Very Old Fitzgerald 1950 15 year old Blackhawk to go under the hammer, bottled in 1966 by Stitzel-Weller for the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks. In October 2025, Unicorn Auctions set a record of $85,200 for the 18 year old counterpart of this release. Competition is definitely heating up for this year’s 20-highest hammer prices of the month. November’s highest-value bottles are all stacked toward the end of the month, and our upcoming auction section below has all the details. Potentially, Yamazaki, Springbank, and Gordon & MacPhail are all in the running for the No. 1 slot this month, but only time will tell.

Unicorn Auctions – October 2025 No Reserves IV

Auction ended November 2^nd

• Bourbon: Old Rip Van Winkle 23 year old Decanter, $22,600. This exceeded its high estimate by $100, becoming the highest hammer price in the sale.
• Japan: Hibiki 30 year old, $4,525. Estimated at $3,000–$3,500, these are readily available at auction, unlike Hibiki 40 year old, which has not sold at auction since April 2025.
• Scotch: Springbank 30 year old, $1,830. This 96-point Campbeltown whisky, released in 2022, makes regular appearances at auction and can now be found for less than its original retail price.

Whisky Auctioneer – October 2025 Auction

Auction ended November 3^rd

• Speyside: Macallan The Red Collection 73 year old, $51,279. A hammer price 38% lower than retail, this later addition to the Red Collection debuted in 2024 at a release price of $82,500.
• Islay: Bowmore 1967 Largiemeanoch 12 year old, $31,556. Assembled from three sherry casks, this rarity was bottled for the Howgate Wine Co., Edinburgh in the 1970s.
• Japanese: Karuizawa 1968 50 year old Water of Life (Cask No. 6223), $20,380. This last made the 20-highest hammer prices of the month in August 2025 with a bid of $19,934.

Scotch Whisky Auctions – The 173^rd Auction

Auction ended November 9^th

• Speyside: Macallan Exceptional Cask 1950 67 year old (Cask No. 1683-13), $30,259. This 2019 release originally cost $58,000, and its value has fallen a further 12.7% over 6 months since it last made the 20-highest hammer prices of the month in May 2025.
• Highland: Glenmorangie Pride 1974, $4,473. At 41 years old, this collaboration with Steinway & Sons was the oldest Glenmorangie release when it launched in 2017, costing $9,050.
• Islay: Gold Bowmore 1964 44 year old, $12,498. Costing $6,250 on release in 2009, this auction included all three expressions in the Bowmore trilogy, though only the 96-point Gold and the 94-point White Bowmore sold.

Lot of the Week

It’s hard to believe that until 2010, there was only one classic expression of Maker’s Mark. In recent years, innovations have come hard and fast, from limited edition bourbons such as the wood finishing series to their first annual wheat whiskey release, the 92-point Star Hill Farm expression. The Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged series launched in 2023, showcasing a blend of Maker’s Mark bourbons aged for more than a decade, but it’s how they aged it that matters. Maker’s started work on a new limestone cellar in 2016 for the purpose of extra aging their bourbon, with the ambition of creating an environment that could maintain year-round temperatures of 50^°F. Unlike Maker’s traditional rickhouses, which experience significant seasonal temperature swings, the limestone warehouse’s steady climate enables Maker’s to age its bourbon for five or more years longer, avoiding the extra oak extraction that would otherwise occur with such temperature fluctuations. Three years on, the annual series is building, and collectors have taken notice. The uncluttered label design and clearly marked year of release is appealing to collectors who like to display their full collection. The inaugural 2023 release continues to trade at hammer prices 60-70% above its original retail price as Maker’s fans replace bottles or add missing expressions to their collection. This multi-bottle lot at Unicorn Auctions included the 94-point Cellar Aged 2023 release, the 91-point 2024 release, and the 2025 release. It was an ideal chance to acquire all three releases to date with a single bid, and shows the attractiveness to other collectors of selling a readymade series.

Lot: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Collection
Sold at: Unicorn Auctions, November 3^rd
Hammer Price: $730

Upcoming Auctions:

November 18^th, Bonhams Skinner: Proof of Excellence: Timeless Spirits – This impressive sale includes rare Glenfiddich distilled in the 1970s, pre-Prohibition and mid-20^th century American whiskeys, and a large collection of single malt scotch releases from the last 25-30 years.

November 20^th, Sotheby’s, London: Finest Whisky: The Glenlivet Exclusive Not only does this auction contain the bottle of Glenlivet 56 year old one-of-one, but it also boasts a 95-point Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter No. 3 47 year old and a rare opportunity to acquire a Yamazaki 50 year old 2011 Release.

November 21^st, Christie’s, New York: Artistry in Oak: The World’s Oldest Single Malt Whisky. This single lot charity auction benefitting American Forests for the Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old from Glenlivet Distillery includes Decanter No. 1, the framed cask end of cask 336, original artwork by architect Jeanne Gang, and a private Gordon & MacPhail tasting. If it sells, it will overtake Macallan The Reach 81 year old as the new record holder for the oldest whisky ever sold at auction.

November 27^th, Christies, London: Fine & Rare Spirits Online: London Edition This sale includes a bottle of Springbank 1919 50 year old, one of the 24 bottles rebottled by J&A Mitchell in the 1980s. Christie’s last sold one of these iconic Campbeltown whiskies in 2021.