7 Things to Know About Sotheby's First Auction at The Macallan Estate

Sotheby's is holding its first ever auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, with online bidding open from 24 September and a live sale on 9 October 2026. The headline lot is The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Years Old from Cask Nr.263, carrying an estimate of 1.7 million to 2.2 million pounds, in a 42 lot sale that marks 100 years since the whisky was distilled.

Key Takeaways

• Live from The Macallan Estate is Sotheby's first auction ever held at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, with online bidding from 24 September and a live sale on 9 October 2026.

• The star lot is The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Years Old, drawn from Cask Nr.263 and estimated at 1.7 million to 2.2 million pounds.

• The sale marks 100 years since the whisky was distilled in 1926, and only 40 bottles were ever filled from that cask, in 1986.

• A total of 42 lots make up the sale, from a Macallan in Lalique decanter to the 81 Years Old The Reach.

• Buyers at Sotheby's pay a buyer's premium of 24 percent of the hammer price plus a 1 percent overhead premium on wine and spirits lots.

Tip: Sotheby's premium lots, including The Macallan 1926, usually require bidder registration and financial verification well before the live session, so register early if a lot like this interests you.

Sotheby's Is Holding Its First Ever Sale at The Macallan Estate

Sotheby's and The Macallan have named the sale Live from The Macallan Estate, and it is the first auction Sotheby's has ever held at the distillery's estate in Speyside, Scotland. Online bidding opens on 24 September 2026, and the sale concludes with a live session on 9 October 2026 at 15:00 BST, held at The Macallan Estate itself. Sotheby's describes the sale as conceived to mark the centenary of the distillation of The Macallan 1926, the bottle that leads the catalogue.

The Star Lot Is The Macallan 1926, Cask Nr.263

Lot 19 is The Macallan Fine and Rare 60 Years Old, distilled in 1926 and matured for six decades in a sherry hogshead, Cask Nr.263, before being bottled in 1986 at 42.6 percent ABV. Sotheby's carries an estimate of 1.7 million to 2.2 million pounds for the single 70cl bottle, offered in bond with duty payable separately. Distilled a century ago this year, it is one of the oldest Macallan vintages ever produced.

Up to Fourteen Bottles Wore the Fine and Rare Label

Cask Nr.263 yielded 40 bottles in total when it was drawn in 1986, and according to Sotheby's, a maximum of 14 of those were dressed with the Fine and Rare label, the version offered as Lot 19. Twelve more bottles were labelled by Pop artist Sir Peter Blake in 1986, and a further 12 were labelled by Italian painter Valerio Adami in 1993, one of which is believed to have been destroyed in a Japanese earthquake in 2011. Two bottles were released without any label at all. One of those was hand painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon, depicting The Macallan's Easter Elchies House, and the other is unaccounted for. Sotheby's also notes that at least one of the 40 bottles is believed to have been opened and consumed, based on images taken in Japan.

The 1926 Has Set Whisky Auction Records for Almost a Decade

When the hand painted, unlabelled bottle sold in 2018, it became the first bottle of whisky to sell for more than 1 million pounds at auction. A Fine and Rare labelled bottle from the same cask then set a further record when Sotheby's sold it in 2019. The record moved again in 2023, when an Adami labelled bottle from Cask Nr.263 sold at Sotheby's for 2.2 million pounds, or 2.7 million dollars, a price that Sotheby's describes as a new auction record for any bottle of wine or spirit.

More Than Forty Other Lots Fill Out the Sale

The 1926 leads a 42 lot sale devoted entirely to The Macallan. Other lots include a three bottle set from the Romantica Collection, an Artists Edition from the same 1986 vintage as the star lot, and a run of 25 Years Old Anniversary Malts drawn from vintages between 1957 and 1975. There is also a Macallan in Lalique decanter from The Golden Age of Travel series, the Six Pillars Collection, sets of 18 Years Old Sherry Oak from 1968 and 1970, and The Macallan The Reach 81 Years Old, a 1940 vintage bottled in a sculpture held by three bronze hands.

Further down the catalogue are two Handwritten Label bottles from 1950 and 1957, a pair of Campbell Hope and King bottlings from the mid 1950s, and several Fine and Rare bottles in their thirties and forties, including a 46 Years Old from Cask Nr.1851 and a 32 Years Old from 1937. Estimates across the sale range from a few hundred pounds for a set of Macallan books to hundreds of thousands of pounds for the rarest decanters, giving bidders entry points well below the headline lot.

How Bidding at a Sotheby's Whisky Sale Works

Bidders register with Sotheby's in advance of the sale, and premium lots such as the 1926 typically ask for additional financial verification before a paddle number is issued. Online bidding runs from 24 September, and the live session on 9 October decides the remaining lots in real time. Winners pay the hammer price plus a buyer's premium of 24 percent, plus a 1 percent overhead premium, both of which are subject to VAT on wine and spirits lots. Some lots, including the 1926, are offered in bond, which means duty is charged separately once the bottle leaves bonded storage. Spiritory works differently: buyers pay a 3 percent buyer protection fee plus shipping, with no separate premium to calculate.

What the Results Could Mean for the Wider Whisky Market

A single record breaking lot does not describe the whole market. Whisky auction prices generally have been softer through 2026, a trend covered in Why Are Whisky Auction Prices Falling in 2026? Ultra rare bottles like The Macallan 1926 tend to move differently from the wider secondary market, since so few examples exist and each carries its own documented history. Collectors weighing whether to buy at auction or elsewhere can compare the two routes in Buying Whisky at Auction vs From a Store: Which Is Better? Nothing about one sale result predicts future prices, and this article makes no claim about what any bottle will be worth after 9 October.

Tip: Bottles sold in bond, like Lot 19, carry duty and VAT that are charged in addition to the hammer price and buyer's premium, so factor that into any bid before the live session begins.

FAQ

What is The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Years Old?

It is a single malt distilled in 1926 and matured for six decades in sherry hogshead Cask Nr.263, before being bottled in 1986 at 42.6 percent ABV. A maximum of 14 bottles from that cask ever carried the Fine and Rare label, and Sotheby's estimates Lot 19 at 1.7 million to 2.2 million pounds.

When and where is the sale?

Online bidding for Live from The Macallan Estate opens on 24 September 2026, with a live sale on 9 October 2026 at 15:00 BST, held at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland. It is Sotheby's first auction ever held at the estate.

How many lots are in the sale?

The sale has 42 lots, all from The Macallan, ranging from 25 Years Old Anniversary Malts and Sherry Oak sets to Lalique decanters and The Macallan The Reach 81 Years Old.

What fees do buyers pay at Sotheby's?

Winning bidders pay the hammer price plus a 24 percent buyer's premium and a 1 percent overhead premium on wine and spirits lots, both subject to VAT. Lots sold in bond, including the 1926, also carry duty once released from bonded storage.

Does a record auction price mean whisky is a good investment?

No single sale predicts future prices. Whisky auction prices broadly have softened through 2026, and rare, well documented bottles like The Macallan 1926 tend to behave differently from the wider secondary market. This article does not make any investment claim.