Macallan Estate Auction at Sotheby's Achieves £3.3 Million With Every Lot Sold

A White Glove Sale in Speyside

On 9 October 2026, Sotheby's and The Macallan held Live from The Macallan Estate, the first auction ever staged at the distillery. The sale marked 100 years since The Macallan 1926 was distilled on the same site.

All 42 lots sold, a so called white glove result, for a total of £3.3 million ($4.4 million). The estimate stood at £2.4 million to £3.2 million. Sotheby's says 86% of the lots sold above their high estimates, and the total makes it the house's second most valuable whisky auction, behind The Ultimate Whisky Collection in 2019.

Fifty invited collectors bid in the room, alongside online and telephone bidders. The lots came almost exclusively from private collections around the world, and Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Whisky & Spirits at Sotheby's, conducted the sale.

The Macallan 1926 Leads the Sale

The headline lot, The Macallan Fine & Rare 60 Years Old 1926, sold for £2,125,000 ($2,807,975). In sterling it is the second highest price ever paid for a bottle of whisky at auction, behind The Macallan 1926 with a label by Valerio Adami, sold at Sotheby's London in November 2023 for £2,187,500 ($2,714,250). In US dollars, the new result is the higher of the two.

It is also a new auction record for a 1926 bottle with the Fine & Rare label. The previous one, £1.5 million, was set at Sotheby's London in 2019. The whisky comes from cask 263, from which 40 bottles were drawn in 1986 after 60 years of maturation.

The Other Top Lots

A complete set of The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection was the second most valuable lot at £350,000 ($462,490).

The Macallan Romantica Collection Artists' Edition opened the auction and sold for £162,500 ($214,278). Its proceeds go in equal shares to three charities: Graeae Theatre Company in London, Cancer Research UK and Associazione VIDAS in Milan.

The Macallan The Reach 81 Years Old sold for £131,250 ($173,434). The Macallan in Lalique Golden Age of Travel Ocean Liner, a 1937 vintage, reached £106,250 ($140,399), three times its estimate.

What Sotheby's and The Macallan Said

Jonny Fowle said the result "reflects the enduring fascination that The Macallan 1926 inspires among collectors around the world", adding that more than a century after it was distilled, the whisky "continues to stand alone as the benchmark for rarity, provenance and desirability in whisky."

Jaume Ferras, 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."

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did the Live from The Macallan Estate auction raise?

The auction achieved a total of £3.3 million ($4.4 million), above its estimate of £2.4 million to £3.2 million.

How many lots were sold?

All 42 lots sold. According to Sotheby's, 86% of them sold above their high estimates.

What was the most expensive lot?

The Macallan Fine & Rare 60 Years Old 1926, which sold for £2,125,000 ($2,807,975).

Who benefits from the Romantica Collection sale?

The £162,500 from The Macallan Romantica Collection Artists' Edition goes in equal shares to Graeae Theatre Company, Cancer Research UK and Associazione VIDAS.