World’s largest bottle of Whisky to go on auction 

In 2012, Famous Grouse held the record for the largest bottle of scotch whisky. Nearly a decade later, a new bottle has arrived, breaking this record on the 9th of September, 2021. 

The Famous Grouse bottle contained 83 litres, ‘The Intrepid’ contains a whopping 311 litres. More than triple the size in volume, ‘The Intrepid’ is to go up for auction on the 25th of May. It’s set to break the record for the most expensive scotch whisky to be sold at auction.  

The news of this auction comes eerily after the world’s most expensive cask sold only a month ago. It will be auctioned off on Lyon & Turnbull with 10 other lots that contain a range of different sizes of The Intrepid.

Why ‘The Intrepid’?

Intrepid means to be fearless and adventurous. Therefore, the bottle was a collaborative association with 11 famous explorers. The explorers involved are Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Karen Darke MBE, Dwayne Fields, Will Copestake, Olly Hicks, Dr Geoff Wilson, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, Levison Wood, Sarah Outen MBE, Felicity Aston MBE and Jamie Ramsay. 

These figures all have overcome a spectacular feat. With Sir Ranulph Fiennes was previously awarded a GWR (Guinness World Record) for being “the greatest living explorer” and Jamie Ramsay being an advocate for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).

So what’s in the bottle?

Made using two carefully selected casks of a 32-year-old Macallan. The bottle stands at 5ft 11inches and took over an hour to fill. The two sister casks were married together by the Duncan Taylor team and bottled at an ABV of 43%. 

The auction house has described it as having a smooth texture and a sweet overall taste. It is a long finish scotch with a hint of white pepper. The final flavour components are that of French apple tart. 

Charitable donations

The Intrepid will likely break the world record for the most expensive bottle of scotch whisky ever sold, which is $1.9 million or just over £1.5 million. Officially certified by GWR, the auctioneers have stated that any amount the sale achieves above £1.3 million, 25 per cent will be donated to the Marie Curie charity. Therefore as long as it matches the current record, at least £50,000 will be going to charity for the event.

More bottles to buy

Aside from the record-breaking bottle, the firms have bottled the remaining 32-year-old Macallan whisky from the two sister casks to produce an exclusive, highly limited bottling run. 14 sets of ‘The Intrepid’ will be available for general sale, with each 12-bottle set consisting of a replica of the record-winning bottle plus a remaining 11 bottles that feature designs capturing the individual explorers. 

Typically one bottle of a 30-year Macallan goes for £3,000-6,000 on the current whisky market. So to have two whole casks available is astounding. 

To learn more or bid on The Intrepid visit Lyon and Turnbull, the auction is online on the 25th May 2022.

UKV International AG’s primary business centres around acquiring, supplying, and selling bonded whisky. 

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We are here to assist you with choosing which whisky to invest in and to guarantee your cask is put away accurately and safely. Regardless of whether you will drink, gift or sell your whisky.

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