Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage produced from fermented grain mash, such as barley, corn, rye and wheat. In the 18th century in America, whiskey was actually used as currency by Pennsylvania residents. The high price of some bottles of whiskey doesn’t necessarily correlate to age, quality or taste – but to the casks that contain them. Let’s look at ten of the world’s most expensive bottles of whiskey in 2023.
- Isabella’s Islay The Emerald Isle Collection: $6.2 million
- Isabella’s Islay The Emerald Isle Collection is the most expensive whiskey in the USA.
- The collection was created by master distiller Iain Henderson.
- The collection includes a 60-year-old whisky, which is the oldest whisky in the world.
- There are only 12 bottles of the Isabella’s Islay The Emerald Isle Collection in existence.
2. The Macallan Lalique Legacy Collection: $460,000
- This is a limited edition of only 400 bottles
- Each bottle is individually numbered
- The whiskey is aged for 50 years
- It is bottled in a Lalique-designed decanter
3. Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series: $150,000
- The series is a set of 50 cards, each depicting a different single malt whisky.
- The cards are made of 24 karat gold and silver, and the set is encased in a hand-crafted wooden box.
- The series is named after Japanese whisky distiller Ichiro Akuto, who created it.
- Only 12 sets of Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series have been made.
- The series was auctioned off for $150,000 in 2016.
4. The Macallan 1926: $75,000 per bottle
- This bottle of whiskey was distilled in 1926 and is one of only 40 bottles in existence.
- It was aged for 50 years in a sherry cask before being bottled in 1976.
- It was sold at auction for $75,000 in 2005.
- It is the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold.
