Collection of 34 rare bottles of whisky go under the hammer

A single collection of 34 rare bottles of Macallan whisky has fetched more than £760,000 at auction in London.

The private Italian collection consisted of bottles from the Moray distillery’s Fine & Rare Collection, some of the most iconic whiskies in the world.

The vintages, spanning 1940 to 1976, went under the hammer in Sotheby’s online sale, where they made £762,500, following bids from single malt enthusiasts around the globe.

The highlight was one of only 152 known bottles of Macallan Fine & Rare 56 Year Old distilled in 1945, which sold for £46,360.

Sotheby’s said: “Macallan was one of the only distilleries to operate during World War Two. It was forced to use local peat in their production, due to the rationing of commercial coal use.

“As a result, this distillate represents a very different character to modern Macallan.

“With only 152 bottles of this whisky is highly prized.”

Also included in Sotheby’s sale were seven 5cl miniatures offered as trade samples at the time of the original launch of the Fine & Rare Collection, which made £13,000.

The most expensive was a 5cl miniature of the 32-year-old 1969 vintage which tripled its estimate, fetching £3,172.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Spirits Specialist, said: “We are delighted to have finished the summer with a successful online auction. The staggering values we achieved on the Macallan Fine & Rare collection are testament to the current strength of the spirits market.”