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.

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.

Editors' Recommendations

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…
The Macallan, Bentley serve up a single malt Scotch whisky worth more than a car
The Macallan and Bentley mean luxury
The Macallan

When it comes to luxury, The Macallan and Bentley are two of the biggest names in the world. While one is a single malt Scotch whisky brand and one is a car company, they both carry a certain, fancy weight. It only makes sense that the two brands would collaborate for a special bottle of Scotch whisky. This is likely because a whisky-powered car is more science fiction than reality.
What does the new whisky look like?

It's called The Macallan Horizon, and its bottle was created in collaboration with British automobile brand Bentley Motors. It was designed to meld the worlds of single malt scotch whisky and the sleek, elegant car brand. The result is a horizontal (hence the name) bottle crafted with a breathtaking 180-degree twist.

Read more
The 9 best whiskeys for making a bar-worthy Old Fashioned at home
If you an Old Fashioned type of person, stock up your liquor cabinet with these whiskeys
An Old Fashioned whiskey cocktail at a bar

There are two schools of thought when it comes to the iconic Old Fashioned cocktail. The first believes the drink requires the best whiskey you can find, as with few additional ingredients, there's not much in the way of masking the spirit. The second believes the addition of sugar, bitters, and citrus and can make even the most basic or foul whiskey drinkable.

We fall somewhere in between: Thirsty for quality, but well aware that the finest whiskeys should probably be enjoyed neat. A standup Old Fashioned is informed by your whiskey selection, but not fully dependent on it stealing the show. The drink, after all, was developed in the late 19th century during mixology's simpler era. It is what its name suggests.

Read more
You’ll love these popular brandy bottles (all under $40)
We ranked budget brandy bottles
Whiskey on a rock outside near a fire

If you’re a spirit drinker, you’re likely well aware of how great bourbon, single malt Scotch, rye whiskey, aged rum, tequila, and mezcal are for sipping neat or on the rocks. But what about brandy? If you’re like many drinkers, your only image of brandy might be a memory of when you saw your grandpa drinking it on a cold winter night in front of a fireplace. But there’s so much more to this spirit than an old-timey drink enjoyed by geriatrics.

For those unaware, brandy is a spirit made from distilled wine as well as a variety of other fermented fruit juices (blackberry, apple, cherry, and more). Its name is a reference to the Dutch word brandewijn which roughly translates to “burnt wine”.

Read more