A bottle of The Macallan 1926 has sold for £2,125,000 at Sotheby’s, making it the second most valuable whisky ever sold at auction.

The release, which holds the ‘Fine & Rare’ label, was sold at a Sotheby’s auction held at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland.

The sale comes in just under the price paid for The Macallan 1926 Adami, which was sold for £2,187,500 at a Sotheby’s auction in November 2023.

Commenting on the sale Jaume Ferra, creative director at The Macallan, said: “We are humbled by the response to the auction live from The Macallan Estate and the results achieved. It was a privilege to welcome Sotheby’s and guests to our home, and to see such appreciation for whiskies that represent different chapters in our history.

“We are especially proud that the sale of The Macallan Romantica Collection Artists’ Edition, which has raised funds for charities nominated by the artists Valerio Adami, Sir Peter Blake and Michael Dillon, giving this remarkable collaboration a meaningful legacy beyond the auction itself.”

Both Macallan whiskies came from the same cask with the lots achieving prices above the auction house’ estimates with some fifty collectors at the auction, as well online and telephone bidders.

Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky and spirits at Sotheby’s, added: “Today’s result reflects the enduring fascination that The Macallan 1926 inspires among collectors around the world.

“More than a century after it was distilled, it continues to stand alone as the benchmark for rarity, provenance and desirability in whisky.

“Achieving the second-highest price ever paid for a bottle of whisky at auction, and setting a new record for a Fine & Rare bottling, at the first auction held at The Macallan Estate during the centenary year of the vintage itself, is a remarkable milestone in the history of whisky collecting.”