Liquid Gold: One-of-a-Kind Whiskies Shatter Records in Scotland
The Glenlivet SPIRA 60 Year Old 1965 whisky in a bespoke decanter by Glasstrom sold for a record £650,000 ($871,358).
When we talk about collecting liquor bottles, we usually mean long-empty containers from the 19th century. But some collectors prefer more recent bottles with the contents intact. Rare wines and spirits can be collectors’ items in themselves, sought as investments or luxuries. And they can sell for high prices, especially when it’s for a good cause. The Distillers One of One auction, held on October 10 at Hopetoun House in Edinburgh, Scotland, in partnership with Sotheby’s, is a perfect example. The charity auction of one-of-a-kind Scotch whiskies resulted in a total of £2.9 million ($3.9 million) and multiple record prices.
KANDOBLANC Dragon In Clouds 60 Year Old whisky in a hand-blown Murano glass bottle by Venini, £106,250 ($142,433).
35 whisky distilleries donated bottles to the auction, which Sotheby’s Global Head of Spirits, Johnny Fowle, calls “the apex at which whisky meets art and luxury.” Many bottles that sold were works of art by contemporary glassmakers. The top lot, “The Glenlivet SPIRA 60 Year Old 1965,” which sold for £650,000 ($871,358), a record for the brand, came in a hand-blown spiral shaped decanter by UK glassmaker Glasstorm. A “KANDOBLANC Dragon In Clouds 60-Year-Old” Speyside Single Malt Scotch, which sold for £106,250 ($142,433), was bottled in a Murano glass vessel by Venini and presented in a Japanese lacquered box.
A rare Ladyburn One of One 2025 Marilyn Monroe by Sam Shaw 58-Year-Old whisky sold for £225,000 ($301,624).
For some bottles, the appeal comes from the label. The “Ladyburn One of One 2025 Marilyn Monroe by Sam Shaw 58-Year-Old” sold for £225,000 ($301,624), a record price for the distillery, against a high estimate of £50,000. The label pictures a rare photograph of Marilyn Monroe taken by her longtime friend, photographer Sam Shaw. The contents of the bottle are extremely rare, too. The Ladyburn Distillery opened in 1966 and closed in 1975, making its products exceptionally hard to find.
This was the third edition of The Distillers One of One auction. Previous auctions were held in 2021 and 2023. The event raises money for The Distillers’ Charity, which supports disadvantaged youth in Scotland and provides grants for education and vocational training. 100% of the hammer proceeds from the auction (that is, the prices before the buyer’s premium is applied) go to charity, meaning this year’s auction raised £2.3 million ($3.1 million). This brings the total raised by all The Distillers One of One events to £6.6 million ($8.4 million).
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