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World’s largest bottle of Scotch whisky to go under the hammer
The world’s largest bottle of whisky – which measures a whopping 5ft 11 and holds the equivalent of 444 standard bottles of 1989 Macallan single malt – is expected to shatter records when it comes up at auction this month.
Clocking in at a towering 5’11” and containing 311 litres of 1989 Macallan single malt, The Intrepid has been verified as the largest bottle of whisky/whiskey in 2021 by the Guinness World Records. It overtakes previous record holders by 83 litres, The Famous Grouse, who had held the title since 2012.
The Intrepid is the equivalent of 444 standard bottles and if you had a standard “wee” 25 ml dram from it every evening, it would take you more than 34 years to finish the bottle – two years longer than it has been aged for!
The bottle, which took more than an hour to fill when bottled by Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky last year, is due to be auctioned off at Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull on May 25. It is is expected to shatter records and sell for £1.5 million.
Auctioneer Collin Fraser, who will be heading up the auction, said bidders will have the chance to buy “a piece of Scotch whisky history” and become the owners of an exclusive 32-year-old single-malt Scotch “from what is widely regarded as one of the world’s best distilleries”.
Charles MacLean gave tasting notes of “baked apple… supported by pear in syrup and a suggestion of flaked almond.. A smooth texture, and a sweet overall taste with some white pepper in the lengthy, warming finish and a suggestion of French apple tart”.
In addition to The Intrepid, the auction will also offer standard sized bottles containing the 1989 Macallan.
The name refers to eleven of the world’s leading explorers, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who picked Marie Curie as his chosen charity for the auction to be run partly in aid of. A quarter of any amount the sale reaches above £1.3 million will be donated to the charity.
Macallan is no stranger to blockbuster auctions. Last month a forgotten cask sold for £1 million, and in February it released its oldest ever single malt whisky.