Glenlivet unveils $55,000 scotch to celebrate 200th anniversary

Glenlivet — the oldest legal distillery in the Scottish Highlands — revealed a $55,000 scotch this week to celebrate the brand’s 200th anniversary.

The exclusive Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old, is the distillery’s oldest scotch expression to date. The scotch was aged for more than five decades in a seasoned sherry cask, giving the single malt scotch “a complex flavor profile and astonishingly long finish,” according to a statement from the distillery.

Only 100 bottles of the liquor will be available for purchase, including a bespoke bottle that will be presented with a one-of-a-kind sculpture from computational architect Michael Hansmeyer at Sotheby’s auction from Oct. 18 to Nov. 1. The proceedings from the special edition bottle will be donated to the National Trust for Scotland.

Glenlivet will release further bottles of the anniversary whiskey annually, with each bottle aging slightly more than its predecessor. Each iteration of the scotch will come from the same cask.

“Thanks to decades of collaboration from our team of cask experts, past and present, the introduction of The Eternal Collection represents a monumental moment for whiskey connoisseurs and luxury appreciators to add a pivotal piece of Scotch whiskey legacy to their collection,” Kevin Balmforth, the Glenlivet cask master, said in a statement.

“It epitomizes the Glenlivet’s commitment to excellence within Scotch innovation as we continue to push to creative new heights in single malts.”

The special edition scotch is bottled inside a sculpture glass reminiscent of the Scottish highlands and the River Livet. Hansmeyer designed the container, which features hand-sculpted jesmonite and rose-gold plating.

“My work captures the intersection of architecture and the arts,” he said in a statement. “I created this sculpture as a tribute to the complexity of The Glenlivet’s oldest expression and the rugged beauty of the distillery’s Scottish landscape, capturing the spirit of where innovation meets tradition.”

Continue reading to learn more about the most expensive bottles of alcohol ever sold.

Chateau d’Yquem 1811 wine – $117,000

Image: THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images (Getty Images)

The most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold at auction is an 1811 bottle of Chateau d’Yquem (MC) that was sold for $117,000 in 2011. French sommelier Christian Vannequé purchased the dessert wine with the intention of commemorating the 50th anniversary of his own career in wine tasting —though he died before reaching that milestone.

1762 Gautier cognac– $144,525

A bottle of 1762 Gautier was the oldest cognac ever sold at auction, according to Sothebys. The cognac dates to before the French Revolution and is believed to have been bottled in the 1840s. A family purchased the liquor for the equivalent of $144,525 in 2020 — setting a record for the most expensive cognac ever sold.

Romanée Conti 1945 Domaine – $558,000

Image: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP via Getty Images (Getty Images)

In 2018, a private collector purchased a bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti for $558,000 — setting the world record for the most expensive wine ever purchased at auction. The 1945 vintage is considered a “unicorn wine” because so few bottles were produced that year due to inclement weather.

“If you want to drink the world’s most special bottle of wine, this is it,” Jamie Ritchie, worldwide head of wine for Sotheby’s, told Bloomberg after the sale.

Louis XIII: 1874 – $2,188,280

Image: Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Haute Living (Getty Images)

collector Vietnamese Nguyen Dinh Tuan Viet bought a bottle of Louis XIII: 1874 in January 2024 for $2,188,280, making it the most expensive cognac ever purchased in a private sale. Louis XIII has long been known as a purveyor of high-quality cognacs — in 2022, the brand even created a line of high-end fragrances inspired by the liquor.

Macallan Adami 1926 – $2.7 million

Image: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby’s (Getty Images)

A bottle of Macallan 1926 single malt whiskey sold for $2.7 million in a 2023 auction, making it the most expensive wine or spirit ever purchased. The prohibition-era whiskey was aged for 60 years before being bottled in 1986. When the whiskey was first bottled, it was not put on sale — rather, 40 bottles were offered to Macallan’s top customers. It is unknown how many bottles of the whiskey remain in existence today.

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