Auction Update: Momentum Returns

Collectors brought some much-needed excitement to the auction scene in early August with the return of several heavyweight expressions, signaling a shift in momentum from July. Unicorn Auctions brought a huge haul of Willett bottles to auction and smashed the world record for Willett Family Estate 23 year old Bourbon “Bigfoote” Private Barrel B57 with a winning hammer price of $39,200. Chef Sean Brock named this bottling “Bigfoote” after Edwin Foote, the former master distiller at Old Fitzgerald (Stitzel-Weller) and Bernheim Distilleries. Unicorn’s first sale of Willett Family Estate 18 year old Bourbon “Soppressata” Private Barrel 79, a bottling selected by Bill Thomas, owner of Jack Rose Dining Saloon, sold for $28,900. The first bottle of LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old Barrel No. 1 to appear since January sold for $32,600.

Whisky Auctioneer set a new record for Macallan TIME:SPACE 84 year old at $128,487. This is the highest auction price for Macallan so far this year, and represents a 26% increase over the previous record set in March, when it sold at auction for the first time in Hong Kong. The Whisky Auctioneer auction also included a dazzling 1.5-liter decanter of Glenfarclas Pagoda Ruby Reserve 1954 62 year old, which fetched $20,287. Antique scotches also performed well; a bottle of Glamis 10 year old Unblended Pot Still Malt (pronounced “Glams”) distilled in the 1930s sold for $14,201, a bottle of Berry Bros. & Co. Talisker 8 year old produced in the 1940s fetched $11,496, while a screwcap bottle of Laphroaig 10 year old from the 1960s took $7,844. McTear's, Glasgow sold a Macallan in Lalique 72 year old Genesis Decanter for $37,828, an even higher sum than July's sale, which delivered the month's highest hammer price.

If the early August results are any indication, the market is in good shape as we head into the busiest stretch of the auction calendar.

Good Bottle Auctions – Whisky: Elegance & Luxury

Auction ended August 2^nd

• Bourbon: Weller’s Antique Reserve 10 year old Original Barrel Proof, $4,350. Distilled and bottled at Stitzel-Weller Distillery and bottled at 100 proof.
• Rye: WhistlePig The Boss Hog Third Edition The Independent, $950. This was originally released in 2016 for $300.
• Tennessee: Jack Daniel’s The Mystery of the Belle of Lincoln, $560. This 1.75L decanter was released in 1979, and is a replica of the Belle of Lincoln bottle, which was one of the earliest names under which Jack Daniel sold whiskey.

Scotch Whisky Auctions – 182^nd Auction

Auction ended August 9^th

• Speyside: Balvenie 1968 46 year old DCS Compendium Chapter 1, $14,830. Limited to 68 bottles, this was one of the inaugural expressions released as part of the series honoring the legacy of David C. Stewart, then Balvenie malt master.
• Islay: Black Bowmore 1964 Final Edition, $12,133. This 1995 release completes the original trilogy of Black Bowmore bottlings, distilled in 1964 after the distillery changed over from direct fired stills to steam-fired stills.
• Highland: Glendronach 1985 26 year old Trump International Golf Links, $4,853. Prices are going up on this scotch signed by President Trump. This sale achieved Scotch Whisky Auction’s second-highest ever hammer price for the Glendronach Trump, and the auction house’s highest hammer price for it since 2023.

Whisky Auctioneer – July 2026 Auction

Auction ended August 10^th

• Speyside: Macallan TIME:SPACE 84 year old, $128,487. This is only the second time the oldest expression of Macallan has sold at auction, and the first time it sold in Europe.
• Japan: Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Series Jack of Clubs 1991 Cask No. 9001, $60,862. This result fell a few thousand dollars short of the price Whisky Auctioneer achieved for a bottle in June.
• Highland: Glamis 10 year old Unblended Pot Still Malt, $14,201. A fascinating example from a lost distillery, this was distilled in the 1930s at Glenfyne Distillery (also known as Glendarroch), which operated in Ardrishaig, by the Crinan Canal, until 1937.

Lot of the Week

In 2021, Glenturret marked the 60^th anniversary of the E-Type Jaguar, the iconic sports car launched in 1961, with a commemorative bottling. The Highland single malt inside is 30 years old and was created by Glenturret whisky maker Bob Dalgarno from three oloroso-seasoned European oak butts and an amontillado-seasoned American oak quarter cask. This was a release of 265 bottles, a tactical limited edition honoring the 265bhp original specification of the E-type models. Originally, this whisky was only available via the Glenturret website, priced at £1,500, and auction values have varied both higher and lower. The label features the elegance of the E-Type Jaguar with its long, sculpted bonnet, compact cockpit, and sweeping lines to the rear. The launch was celebrated for the 700-mile overnight drive from Coventry to Geneva, known as “The Mad Dash” undertaken by Norman Dewis, Jaguar chief development engineer, in 11 hours, just in time to demonstrate the E-Type to the assembled press and potential buyers at the Geneva Motor Show. Since the Glenturret E-Type release, the distillery has released Glenturret C-Type Jaguar 70^th anniversary, a 32 year old single malt composed of oloroso-seasoned European oak hogsheads and a single Pedro Ximénez American oak hogshead, which is rarer still; just 220 bottles were released to reflect the 220bhp of the 24 Hours of Le Mans winner.

Lot: Glenturret E-Type Jaguar 60th Anniversary
Sold at: Scotch Whisky Auctions
Hammer Price: $1,753

Upcoming Whisky Auctions:

August 28^th, Bonhams, Hong Kong: The Exceptional Spirits: Treasures of Craftsmanship sale runs over two weeks and includes a bottle of Yamazaki Junshin, a Kawasaki Ichiro’s Choice 1981, and the Highland Park 50 year old 2020 Release.

September 18^th, Sotheby’s, New York: Whisky & Whiskey. Sotheby’s live sale will feature wax-sealed rarities.