Whisky Auction Update: Mid-Month Report For June

June’s auction schedule has been the busiest of the year so far, with competition for the 20 highest hammer prices of the month intensifying. Van Winkle and Macallan have both led our rankings this year, but with two bottles of Yamazaki 55 year old on the block this month, Yamazaki could surge past Macallan to the top spot. Within the space of three weeks, four Japanese whiskies have set the four highest hammer prices of the year, with a bottle of Yamazaki 1960 Suntory Whisky Meeting Cask No. 2J6001 fetching $280,790 in early June, and the first of this month's bottles of Yamazaki 55 year old attracting a hammer price of $200,000 in New York.

Karuizawa is close behind Macallan and Yamazaki in our standings, and a high hammer price for Karuizawa 1960 52 year old Cask No. 5627 The Poet at Whisky Auctioneer’s Kisetsu: Seasons of Japanese Whisky could rival the $638,007 winning bid for the Treasure Ship edition from May 2026, and put it ahead of Macallan. This auction has a jaw-dropping selection of Japanese rarities, and it’s a welcome return to Whisky Auctioneer’s extra thematic auctions, and marks their first dedicated Japanese whisky auction since 2019.

Don’t count out Pappy Van Winkle either. Their upcoming New York sale includes several contenders that could make June’s list, though it's going to take some high bids for any American whiskey to make the list this month, given the competition from scotch and Japanese whiskies. Macallan may yet prevail. The current leader shows no sign of losing its top position, with sales of Macallan in Lalique 72 year old Genesis Decanter, Macallan Tree of Life 1979 46 year old, and Macallan in Lalique 55 year old each topping $50,000 during the first days in June. Sotheby’s, Hong Kong also sold a lot containing eight bottles of Macallan The Red Collection, from the 40–78 year old, for a hammer price of $306,317, and took a hammer price of $127,632 for a 44-bottle set of Macallan Fine & Rare miniatures distilled between 1937 and 1990.

We could be heading for back-to-back million-dollar 20 highest-hammer-price lists, which last happened in July 2024. Don’t miss our full June results report when we reveal which brand has taken charge of the table going into July.

Sotheby’s, Hong Kong – Finest and Rarest Spirits

Auction ended June 4^th

• Japan: Yamazaki 1960 Suntory Whisky Meeting Cask No. 2J6001, $280,790. One of 36 bottles produced in 2002 for the Suntory Whisky Meeting held at Yamazaki Distillery in 2003. It was fully matured in a mizunara cask, and was a prototype of the Cask of Yamazaki series.
• Speyside: Macallan 50 year old 2018 Release, $35,737. Matured in a European oak sherry butt, this release of 200 bottles preceded Macallan’s The Red Collection.
• Highland: Brora Triptych, $24,250. This trio of 38–48 year old Brora bottles were released to coincide with the reopening of Brora Distillery in 2021.

Unicorn Auctions – June 2026 Spirits

Auction ended June 7^th

• Speyside: Macallan in Lalique 55 year old, $50,200. The second release in the Six Pillars series achieved a 4.6% higher hammer price than the bottle sold a year earlier at Bonhams Skinner in June 2025.
• Japanese: Yamazaki 25 year old Mizunara Oak, $6,250. This 2025 release scored 97 points with our tasting panel.
• Bourbon: Black Maple Hill 21 year old Single Barrel Cask No. 5, $5,500. This shows a 10% increase in hammer price since a bottle of this expression was sold by Sotheby’s in its American Muscle Collection in 2022, but Unicorn Auctions achieved an even higher hammer price of $6,050 in March 2026.

Whisky Auctioneer – May 2026 Auction

Auction ended June 8^th

• Speyside: Macallan in Lalique 72 year old Genesis Decanter, $57,395. One of 600 bottles released, this was the oldest bottling from Macallan when it was released in 2018 and cost $65,000. It last sold at Whisky Auctioneer in 2022 for $84,810.
• Islay: Intertrade Laphroaig 1966 19 year old Natural Cask Strength, $21,356. While the label was a little soiled, this bottle managed a strong showing regardless.
• Japan: Karuizawa Aqua of Life 1969 50 year old Cask No. 538, $16,685. Auctions in different countries can produce different results: two bottles from this release sold for $24,250 at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong this month.

Lot of the Week

Flipping newly released whiskies at auction has become less lucrative in recent years, as distillers have struggled to find the magic formula for creating new series that set the secondary market on fire. Few new whiskies come along with the potential to instantly reach hammer prices four or five times their retail value anymore, but at $400, and dressed in beautiful packaging drawing on mid-century brand aesthetics, Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archive 16 year old Gold Foil Edition looked like a slam dunk. Retro packaging on new releases celebrating past distillery achievements is nothing new; think of Jack Daniel’s Legacy Series, Macallan Archival Series, Jameson Remastered, and Bruichladdich’s Old Skool 10 year old. It’s a significant new move for Wild Turkey though. The debut release in associate master blender Bruce Russell’s new annual series honors the cheesy gold foil Wild Turkey 101 12 year old releases bottled by Jimmy Russell in the late 20^th century. The 16 year old is limited but not vanishingly rare, and assuming the seller paid a retail price of $400 for their Gold Foil Edition, flipping this bird at Unicorn Auctions saw a return of 462.5% on its secondary market debut.

Lot: Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archive 16 year old Gold Foil Edition
Sold at: Unicorn Auctions, June 7^th 2026
Hammer Price: $2,250

Upcoming Auctions

June 22^nd, Whisky Auctioneer: Kisetsu: Seasons of Japanese Whisky includes this year’s second opportunity to buy one of the 100 bottles of Yamazaki 55 year old and one of the 41 bottles of Karuizawa 1960 52 year old Cask No. 5627.

June 26^th, Sotheby’s, New York: Ushering in Sotheby’s Single Cask Summer, the Whisky & Whiskey includes two single barrel Pappy Van Winkle expressions never before seen at auction, along with big-ticket bourbon, scotch, and Japanese rarities.