The World's Largest Whisky Bottle
I could not even get this into my house!
Really? A whisky bottle that is taller than the average human? Well, yes, the world’s certified largest Scotch whisky bottle, at 1.8 meters tall and containing 311 litres of a 32-year-old Macallan single malt, was auctioned last year and was bought by a Vietnamese businessman.
Labelled and named “The Intrepid “, the world’s largest whisky bottle was officially certified by Guinness World Records in September 2021. It contains the equivalent of 444 standard 700ml bottles. 83 liters more than the previous record of a 228-liter bottle of The Famous Grouse whisky in 2012.
Daniel Monk, of Cask World and the drinks wholesaler Rosewin Holdings, came up with the concept and arranged the auction. The bottle was named the Intrepid in honour of the achievements of 11 pioneering British explorers, the images of whom are featured on the bottle’s label. The 11 include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dr Geoff Wilson, Karen Darke, Olly Hicks and Jamie Ramsay. It was a “passion project” for Daniel to celebrate the life of his late father, Captain Stanley Monk, who was himself an explorer.
After maturing in two sister casks at The Macallan’s Speyside warehouse for 32 years, the 43% ABV liquid was bottled for Daniel in 2021 by independent bottler Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky.
How Much Did This Monster Make In The Auction?
The auction of the bottle was held at Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh on 25th May 2022. The auctioneer hoped that The Intrepid could break the world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky sold at auction, held by a Macallan 1926 bottle (only 70cl) which sold for €1.85 million.
Vietnamese businessman, Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan, purchased the Intrepid paying the equivalent of a whopping €1.3 million for it at auction. So, it did not break the price record. Viet chose to remain anonymous — until The Guardian revealed his identity! He also owns the world’s largest bottle of cognac, and the oldest bottle of whisky – believed to be almost 150 years old.
Viet added the bottle whisky to his collection (valued at €150 million) in Ho Chi Minh City alongside a certificate from Guinness World Records authenticating it as the world’s largest. The final purchase price worked out at almost €107 a dram (25ml).
Viet “was enticed to acquire The Intrepid for three reasons: the fact that it’s the world’s biggest bottle, it contains Macallan and because I was inspired by the record-breaking achievements of the 11 explorers depicted on the bottle’s label.”
Daniel Monk donated most of the proceeds of the auction to the Marie Curie Charity, an organization devoted to end-of-life care. Good Man!!!!
