Top 8 most luxurious and expensive whiskey in the world

The refined alcoholic drink of whiskey is made from fermented cereal mash. Cereals such as rye, barley, corn, and wheat are mainly used in the procedure. It is fascinating to learn that in the 18th century in America, whiskey was actually used as currency among locals. But even more impressive is that most pricey bottles are expensive not only because of their quality or age but also depending on the barrels that hold them. With this in mind, we invite you to take a look at 8 of the most exclusive and pricy bottles of whisky - in the whole world.

The Emerald Isle Collection

This whiskey collection cost around $2 million and sold in a box including seven pieces: a 30-year-old whiskey, a customized Fabergé Celtic Egg made from emerald and 18-karat gold, a Fabergé 22k gold watch, and a Cohiba Siglo VI Grand Reserva cigar. The Emerald Isle Collection was designed by the Irish Bradley family, sourced using a rare and ancient triple-refined whiskey from the world's oldest distillery in Bushmill, Ireland.

The Macallan Michael Dillon 1926

Sold for $1.53 million, this rare collection has been hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillion and commissioned by Fortnum & Mason. It is a 60-year-old whiskey, released in 1999 and marketed at a Christie's auction in November 2018. The art shows The Macallan Speyside mansion’s special Easter Elchies House. Belonging to the celebrated cask 263, this special whiskey acquires much of its worth due to its painting.

The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926

There are only 12 bottles of this type in the world designed and crafted by pop artist Valerio Adami. This whiskey decanter is set in a particular cabinet. It was distilled in 1926 and bottled in 1986, with a price of $ 1.1 million, sold at an auction in 2020 by a well-known whiskey collector. Experts say that one bottle of this kind of drink was destroyed in an earthquake.

The Macallan Lalique legacy collection

The name comes from the fact that this collection was designed by French glassmaker and jeweler Lalique. We're talking about a set of six gorgeous crystal decanters holding some of the rarest of The Macallan’s single malts. This whiskey was aged from 50 to 65 years old and every decanter is unique. The price for this collection is around $993,000.

The Macallan M

One of the oldest and most costly whiskeys in the world is a six-liter bottle of Macallan M. The decanter that holds it is handmade of crystal and was conceived and built by 17 artisans. Aged in Spanish oak for more than 75 years, all the bottles of this whiskey were sold and the last one cost around $600,000.

Isabella's Islay

Wondering what's the most expensive whiskey that one could ever buy? It's this one: Isabella's Islay: it costs more than 6 million dollars! If you get it, you'll have a decanter that features 8,500 diamonds, 300 rubies, and outstanding white gold. Speaking of whiskey, this is one of the best ever and is the embodiment of luxurious scotch whiskey.

The Macallan 1926

The 60-year-old bottle of Macallan was purchased for $ 1.9 million in 2019. It was originally distilled in 1926 and marketed in its authentic cask. Moreover, this was the first bottle that had a hand-painted design by Irish artist Michael Dillon, and was part of the 'The Macallan Fine and Rare' collection. It is considered to be the holy grail of whiskey.

Hanyu Ichiro's Full card series

Given that they obtained a large amount of $1.53 million for 54 bottles, these whiskeys are valuable in a set. What's more, this collection is the only Japanese whiskey made in a Scotch-style malt on this list, the Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series comprises 54 bottles, each representing a playing card in a deck. It was founded in 1941 by Isouji Akuto. A family business where another member conserved 400 casks of whisky, out of which he taste-tested and hand-selected 54 unique whiskies for each playing card. This collection of whiskey was made public between 2005 and 2014 and was sold for $1.53 million at a Bonhams’s Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky auction in Hong Kong. 

The Macallan Peter Blake 1926

This cask seasoned with sherry was bottled in 1926 and aged in the Speyside distillery for 60 years. Out of 40 bottles, one bottle was commissioned to be painted, while the remaining were to be offered as part of Macallan’s vintage release agenda. Each bottle reflects the luxury of the single malt, and Sir Peter Blake - who, by the way, designed the famous cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - designed also the label.

The Macallan Red Collection

The Macallan Red Collection is up for auction at Sotheby’s in London and it contains the oldest aged whiskey ever to be released by the Macallan. You can purchase it in very limited numbers, and the collection is worth about $100,000. This collection is different from the standard collections as it has rare whiskies and exclusive labels illustrated by Spanish artist Javi Anarez. It is said to exist only two sets of this kind.