Vintage Whisky Sells For Almost £83,000

The Sale of a vintage whisky for almost £83,000 at an auction in Edinburgh has highlighted once again the value of whisky investment in the UK.

Bonhams conducted the auction on December 7th and, as expected, the 55-year-old decanter of Macallan Lalique – number 412 out of a limited edition of 420 – easily surpassed the lower end of its expected price range of £65-85,000, eventually going for £82,960. 

Discussing the sale of the whisky, which was released in 2007, head of whisky at Bonhams in Edinburgh Martin Green said: “The 55-year-old was the second in the famous Macallan Lalique Six Pillars collection and is much sought after by collectors around the world both for its rarity and quality. “

He added: “We had anticipated stiff competition for the decanter and were not disappointed.”

While a limited edition item like this is obviously a rarity and thus was able to command a higher premium, the same auction recorded a number of other high prices paid for vintage whiskies.

These included a Bowmore whisky that was already 38 years old when sold in 1957, which went for £9,760, a 42-year-old Glenfidditch Goodwood that was sold in 1979 and went for £7,930, and a 1950 Macallan that commanded a price of £6,710. All of these comfortably exceeded their minimum guide price.

Suffice to say, none of these whiskies would have commanded anything approaching such prices when they were first bought and sold, which is a clear demonstration of how investing in whisky as a commodity can bring huge rewards. 

In a recent article, Money Week described whisky as ‘The hot new thing for collectors’, noting that younger people and people in the Far East are fast-growing markets, both in terms of taste for whisky, but also as collectors of rare malts. 

With so many moneyed people developing a taste for the amber dew, there may never have been a better time to invest in cask whisky.

Bonhams : Very Rare Macallan Lalique 55-Year-Old Tops Bonhams Whisky Sale in Edinburgh 

Whisky is the hot new thing for collectors | MoneyWeek

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