Skip to main content

The 5 most expensive Scotch whiskies on earth

Your best Scotch whisky may be expensive, but there are more expensive bottles on earth. So start saving

The Balvenie DCS Compendium 1961
The Balvenie

It’s not uncommon to do a double-take at the duty-free store when you see a bottle of Scotch with an asking price of several hundred dollars. Yet, the most expensive bottles of the famed U.K. whisky can go for way more than that. Like, to the tune of several million bucks.

Why the absurd prices? Well, like any collectible (Champagne, bourbon, sports cards), Scotch whisky has a huge following and some very special, very limited releases. Couple that with the fact that these releases are aged to perfection, and you have a market that draws zero lines when it comes to reasonable pricing. That, and the most outrageous bottles tend to enjoy the stiff competition of auction.

Recommended Videos

Whether you’re simply curious or eager to splurge like a professional collector, these are the most expensive Scotches on the planet.

Macallan 30-Year Sherry Oak Whisky
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Macallan 30-Year Sherry Oak Single Malt — $6,300

Set to an eye-catching blue label and corresponding box, this whisky from Macallan is matured in sherry oak casks. As such, it takes on a bit of a ruby hue and offers some rich and round dried fruit and wood notes. The distilling team captures the finest cut, approximately the best 16% of the liquid, for a fuller, more robust finished product.

Glenlivet Winchester Scotch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Glenlivet Winchester — $25,000

A mere 100 bottles of this whisky were first released a few years back. It’s a collaboration with designer Bethan Gray and features 50-year-old whisky from what the distillery calls an exceptional 1966 vintage. The deep hue is courtesy of a half-century of aging, an impressive feat. If you’re lucky enough to try this rarity, you’ll sip knowing that LBJ was president and gas cost 31 cents per gallon when it was made.

The Balvenie 50-Year Scotch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Balvenie 50-Year — $44,000

From rum-influenced options to single-barrel and PortWood-finished products, The Balvenie makes some mean Scotch. This one integrates citrus, oak, and fruit notes to perfection. Calling it a special-occasion Scotch is an understatement, as it costs roughly as much as a new Land Rover. Only 110 bottles were made of this single malt from Speyside, aged in American oak and the sixth installment of 50-year-old Scotch released by the brand.

Dalmore Constellation 1964 Scotch.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dalmore Constellation 1964 — $63,000

The eldest whisky on the list, this offering from ’64 hails from the highlands of Scotland. It’s about as complex as a Scotch comes, benefiting from a finish in Oloroso Sherry barrels. While this bottle goes for $63,000, a collection of other vintages (multiple bottles, mind you) has reportedly fetched sums of close to $350,000. Needless to say, it’s an elegant option from a producer adored by the Scotch-drinking world for its razor-sharp attention to malting details, a key part of the process.

Isabella's Islay Scotch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Isabella’s Islay — $6.5 million

Regardless of how good this Scotch from the storied island of Islay is, it’s primarily the most expensive bottle on earth due to its vessel. Housed in a sparkling decanter made of English crystal and covered in diamonds, it’s the ultimate symbol of go-big-or-go-home luxury. Some 8,500 diamonds and the equivalent of two bars of solid gold make up this bottle of bottles. How’s the Scotch? It probably doesn’t matter as, psychologically, anybody who shells out this kind of money is going to convince themselves it’s the best thing ever. And, perhaps it is.

Curious about other spirits? Check out our guides to the most expensive tequilas, most expensive gins, and most expensive rums out there. And get sipping, if you can afford to do so.

Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
B.R. Distilling Company is releasing Blue Note Special Reserve Bourbon
Blue Note is adding to its portfolio with a new expression
B.R. Distilling Company

Blue Note Bourbon is an award-winning whiskey portfolio crafted to pay tribute to Memphis's musical history. It's distilled in partnership with the famed Bardstown Bourbon Company and matured just north of Memphis.

It's known for its flagship Blue Bourbon, Juke Joint, Crossroads, Uncut, and Straight Whiskey. Recently, the brand announced it would be releasing yet another whiskey: Blue Note Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Blue Note Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Read more
Boann Distillery is launching three single pot still Irish whiskeys in the U.S.
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Boann is launching three Irish whiskeys
Boann Distillery

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the family-owned Boann Distillery, situated in the town of Drogheda, County Meath, Ireland, is releasing its first Single Pot Still Irish Whiskeys in the U.S. And it’s not just releasing one or two whiskeys. It’s launching three unique expressions at once.
The three expressions

The three core expressions—Marsala, Madeira, and Pedro Ximénez —were released last month. Each whiskey is 47% ABV and begins as the brand’s award-winning Single Pot Still spirit before aging in specific barrels.

Read more
Two Stacks just released a blended Irish whiskey in the U.S.
Two Stacks just launched a new, blended Irish whiskey
Two Stacks

If you’re a fan of ready-to-drink alcohol products, you’re probably well aware of Two Stacks Irish Whiskey. The “Dram in a Can” is the world’s first Irish whiskey in a can. All you need to do is crack it open, pour it into a glass, enjoy it neat, on the rocks, or mix it into a cocktail.

If, for some reason, cans aren’t your thing or you’d just like a whole 700ml bottle, the folks at Two Stacks also sell bottles of whiskey. They just launched a new bottled Irish Whiskey in the U.S. Market (don’t worry, it’s also available in cans).
Two Stacks The First Cut Signature Blend Irish Whiskey

Read more