Sotheby’s Unveils The Legacy Collection:
Among America’s Most Valuable Whisky Collections Ever to Appear at Auction
Open For Bidding Ahead of Live Auction in New York on 11 May
A selection of Scotch, Japanese and American Whiskies“The Legacy Collection showcases what is undoubtedly one of the most complete Macallan Fine & Rare collections ever to come to auction as part of one of the most significant Single Owner sales offered on US soil. Discovering and working with collections like this is always a privilege and being able to offer yet another significant single owner collection at Sotheby’s never ceases to excite us.”
Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Head of Whisky & Spirits, North America and EMEA
NEW YORK, 27 APRIL 2023 – Showcasing one of the most exciting and comprehensive ensembles of The Macallan Fine & Rare ever to come to auction, The Legacy Collection will come under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York on 11 May 2023. The 142-lot sale of Scotch, Japanese and American whisky is expected to fetch between $1.4 and $1.9 million.
Exclusively comprising bottles from a single collector accrued through painstaking dedication, the sale is headlined by one of the fullest verticals of The Macallan Fine & Rare ever to appear at auction, featuring the elusive 1957 vintage bottling. These lots are further supported by rare bottles from The Balvenie, The Dalmore, Midleton and rare whiskeys from the Van Winkle canon.
This Legacy collector spent many years building a truly staggering collection in both range and value, while consuming many bottles along the way, including The Macallan Fine & Rare and Lalique Six Pillars.
The Macallan Fine & Rare – The Record-Breaking Whisky
The Macallan is best known for being the most valuable whisky in the world, following the record-breaking sale at Sotheby’s in 2019 of The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926 for $1.9 million. The Fine & Rare series, originally introduced in 2002, has since been hailed as the pinnacle of Scotch whisky collecting, with vintages spanning from the 1920s to the 1990s.
The Legacy Collection contains 56 Fine & Rare vintage expressions, the oldest of which dates back as far as 1937 (lot 56, est. $26,000-$35,000) with the most recent being 1990 (lot 1, est. $9,000-$12,000). The oldest age statement on offer is The Macallan Fine & Rare 56 Year Old 1946 (lot 46, est. $24,000-30,000).
Eight of The Macallan Fine & Rare bottles in The Legacy collection are among the most limited in the series, with fewer than 100 bottles of each expression ever having been produced (see lots 7, 19, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 and 50). Most rare of all is The Macallan Fine & Rare 15 Year Old 1957 (lot 28, est. $150,000-200,000).
The Macallan Fine & Rare 15 Year Old 1957 – One of the rarest whiskies in the world
The Macallan Fine & Rare 15-Year-Old
The Macallan Fine & Rare 15 Year Old is the second rarest in the series after only the 1926, with only 15 bottles ever having been produced. While only 14 bottles of the 1926 bear the Fine & Rare label, there are, in fact, 40 bottles in total of the liquid (with further iterations bearing different designs by Peter Blake, Valerio Adami and Michael Dillon). The 1957 vintage was originally bottled in 1972 at 15 Years Old, presumably by Gordon & Macphail under the Macallan-Glenlivet moniker, before being re-bottled in 2002 by The Macallan as part of this series.
There are 15 “bottle equivalents” (i.e., a total volume of between 10 and 11 litres of the liquid in total), but it is known that not all of these were released onto the market and that only two were produced with this 75cl bottle size for the American market (with European versions being only 70cl), making this, without question, the rarest Fine & Rare expression.
Additional Scotch, Irish and American Rarities
The rare bottles in The Legacy Collection do not stop at The Macallan Fine and Rare. Other highlights include The Balvenie 50 Year Old Batch 01 (lot 92, est. $15,000-$20,000) and Midleton Very Rare 30th Anniversary Pearl Edition (lot 118, $15,000-$20,000), as well as 24 bottles of The Macallan 21 Year Old Fine Oak and eight bottles of The Dalmore 25 Year Old. From the US, there are 20 bottles from The Van Winkle stable including the 10, 12, 13, 15, 20 and 23 Year Old expressions.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.
About Sotheby’s Wine
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 70 categories which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate. Sotheby’s believes in the transformative power of art and culture and is committed to making our industries more inclusive, sustainable and collaborative.
Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits achieved a record total of $158 million in 2022, a 20% increase from 2021. Sotheby’s currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most valuable bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most valuable bottle of spirits ever sold at auction, in addition to the highest ever total for a charity wine auction.
In addition to auction, Sotheby’s Wine launched a retail business in 2010. With a retail store located in Sotheby’s New York headquarters and e-commerce at www.sothebyswine.com, Sotheby’s Wine offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by our experienced specialists, the selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages. A second retail location opened in Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries in 2014.
