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| Bottle of Whisky Sells for a Record $1.1 Million | Bottle of Whisky Sells for a Record $1.1 Million |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — In Scotland, you can buy a 16th-century castle for a little more than a million dollars. | LONDON — In Scotland, you can buy a 16th-century castle for a little more than a million dollars. |
| On Wednesday, someone paid a similar amount for a 750-milliliter bottle of single malt whisky described as “the Holy Grail” of the dark alcoholic spirit: just over $1.1 million, a record. | |
| The 60-year-old Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 is “one of the rarest and most desirable bottles ever produced,” according to a specialist at Bonhams, the auction house in Scotland that made the sale. The price included a bid of 700,000 pounds, or about $900,000, plus a £148,000 sales premium. | |
| The identity of the private buyer was not revealed. But a Bonhams spokesman said on Wednesday that the person was from Asia and had made the bid over the phone. | The identity of the private buyer was not revealed. But a Bonhams spokesman said on Wednesday that the person was from Asia and had made the bid over the phone. |
| The bottle was put up for sale in Edinburgh, sitting atop a display stand covered in tartan and encased in a specially designed cabinet. | |
| The bottle’s value emanates in part from a link with an Italian. The Macallan, a Scottish distillery, commissioned the pop artist Valerio Adami to design a label for the whisky, which was bottled in 1986 after aging for 60 years. | |
| Another factor in the single malt’s value is its rarity. Only 24 bottles of the Scotch were produced — 12 with labels by Mr. Adami and 12 with labels by another pop artist, the Englishman Peter Blake — and no one knows exactly how many remain. | Another factor in the single malt’s value is its rarity. Only 24 bottles of the Scotch were produced — 12 with labels by Mr. Adami and 12 with labels by another pop artist, the Englishman Peter Blake — and no one knows exactly how many remain. |
| One of the bottles with Mr. Adami’s distinctive black-and-white design is rumored to have been destroyed in an earthquake in Japan in 2011. It is thought that at least one other may have been opened and drunk. | One of the bottles with Mr. Adami’s distinctive black-and-white design is rumored to have been destroyed in an earthquake in Japan in 2011. It is thought that at least one other may have been opened and drunk. |
| That raises the question: How does a $1 million bottle of whisky taste? | That raises the question: How does a $1 million bottle of whisky taste? |
| For one expert, the Macallan Valerio Adami 1926’s flavor may not quite match its hefty price tag. | For one expert, the Macallan Valerio Adami 1926’s flavor may not quite match its hefty price tag. |
| “When I tasted it, the whisky was quite intense, dry, and tasted of dried fruit with some hint of warming spice,” said David Robertson, a master distiller at the Macallan from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. “But I had to try a lot of whiskies over the years and in my humble opinion, there were a number that were better than this one.” | “When I tasted it, the whisky was quite intense, dry, and tasted of dried fruit with some hint of warming spice,” said David Robertson, a master distiller at the Macallan from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. “But I had to try a lot of whiskies over the years and in my humble opinion, there were a number that were better than this one.” |
| “It would be great to think that the whisky could be opened by the buyer,” Mr. Robertson added. “That is what it was produced for. But for some people, opening a $1.1 million bottle of whisky is quite a big decision.” | “It would be great to think that the whisky could be opened by the buyer,” Mr. Robertson added. “That is what it was produced for. But for some people, opening a $1.1 million bottle of whisky is quite a big decision.” |
| The sale is the second time this year that a bottle of whisky has gone for a record amount. In May, a bottle from the Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 edition fetched 8.6 million Hong Kong dollars, about $1.1 million, at Bonhams in Hong Kong. | The sale is the second time this year that a bottle of whisky has gone for a record amount. In May, a bottle from the Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 edition fetched 8.6 million Hong Kong dollars, about $1.1 million, at Bonhams in Hong Kong. |
| If the new buyer chooses to preserve the bottle untouched, the fate of the world’s most expensive bottle of vodka serves as a cautionary tale. | If the new buyer chooses to preserve the bottle untouched, the fate of the world’s most expensive bottle of vodka serves as a cautionary tale. |
| The gold and silver bottle, with its diamond-encrusted cap, which was said to be worth $1.3 million, was stolen from a bar in Copenhagen in January. | The gold and silver bottle, with its diamond-encrusted cap, which was said to be worth $1.3 million, was stolen from a bar in Copenhagen in January. |
| After days of searching, the police found the bottle dented — and empty. | After days of searching, the police found the bottle dented — and empty. |