The World’s Oldest Whisky is Up for Auction, and the Bidding Has Already Eclipsed $250,000

A decanter of the world’s oldest whisky, The Macallan 81 Year Old The Reach, is up for auction. (Photo: Whisky Auctioneer)

The oldest known bottled whisky, The Macallan 1940 The Reach 81 Year Old, is up for auction, and as of Tuesday, the leading bid is £201,000 ($253,778).

The Reach was distilled in 1940 and matured in a single, sherry-seasoned cask for 81 years before being bottled at 41.6% ABV. The Macallan unveiled The Reach in February 2022 and initially listed its suggested retail price as £92,000 ($116,163).

The auction is being conducted by Whisky Auctioneer.

Only 288 decanters of The Reach exist. In October, one of them sold for £300,000 ($330,842) at an auction — £100,000 beyond the high end of the anticipated sale range.

Each decanter of The Reach is held up by a bronze sculpture of three hands, created by Scottish sculptor Saskia Robinson. The three hands represent those of

1. The distillery workers of 1940 who crafted the spirit
2. Former chairman Allan Shiach, whose grandfather led The Macallan when The Reach was laid down to age
3. The company’s current master whisky maker, Kirsteen Campbell.

While The Reach is the oldest whisky, it’s not the only rare Macallan that has been up for auction at a high price this year. In April, a collection of six rare Macallan scotch whiskies sold for £500,000 ($631,333).

In February, a bottle of The Macallan Distil Your World New York Single Cask Edition that was expected to sell for between $30,000 and $80,000 ended up being bought for $250,000.

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