The Macallan 1926 will lead Sotheby’s first auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, on October 9, 2026. The sale will mark 100 years since the whisky was distilled and will include more than 40 lots, drawn almost entirely from private collections.
Sotheby’s estimates that the Fine and Rare 60 Years Old 1926 bottle will fetch approximately $2.25 million to $2.91 million (£1.7 million to £2.2 million). The bottle is one of 14 Fine and Rare examples from cask number 263, which The Macallan first released in 2002.
The Macallan drew 40 bottles from the sherry-seasoned oak cask in 1986, after the whisky had matured for 60 years. Twelve received labels designed by Sir Peter Blake and another 12 featured designs by Valerio Adami. Two were left unlabelled; Irish artist Michael Dillon later hand-painted one of them.
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READ THE STORYNo bottle from the 1926 cask has appeared at auction since an Adami-labelled example set the whisky auction record at Sotheby’s in London in 2023. The forthcoming sale will return a bottle from the cask to the estate where its whisky was made.
Jonny Fowle, global head of whisky and spirits at Sotheby’s, called the estate auction “a landmark moment for the world of whisky collecting”. He said bringing bottles to Speyside would give collectors “a truly unique opportunity” to encounter The Macallan at its home.
Jaume Ferras, creative director at The Macallan, described hosting the auction as “a very special milestone for our brand”. He said the sale would also recognize the legacy of the 1926 whisky.
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The Macallan will consign a version of its Romantica Collection created specifically for the auction. The three-bottle set has a strength of 42.6% ABV, compared with 48.6% ABV for the limited edition released earlier this year. Sotheby’s estimates the auction set at approximately $79,000 to $132,000 (£60,000 to £100,000).
Blake, Adami and Dillon each created artwork for Romantica, which marks the 1926 vintage’s centenary. Only two examples of each artist edition were produced at the auction’s 42.6% strength; The Macallan will retain the companion set in its archive. The sale lot includes an oak cabinet containing materials associated with the artists’ work.
The distillery will also offer The Reach 81 Years Old, a single malt distilled in 1940. Its mouth-blown decanter sits in a bronze sculpture of three hands, while a display cabinet made from elm wood has red leather lining. Sotheby’s estimates the lot at approximately $119,000 to $185,000 (£90,000 to £140,000).
Other lots include a complete Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection and a 1937 Golden Age of Travel Ocean Liner. Historic bottlings from the distillery’s 18 Years Old, 25 Years Old Anniversary Malt and Fine and Rare ranges will also feature.
