6 super-rare whisky launches to watch from Port Ellen, The Macallan, Karuizawa, Glenfarclas and more – priced from US$135 to US$75,000 and only gaining in value

Whisky has the unique ability to take you back decades in time. Every so often, distilleries mine their old stocks in hope of creating a luxurious, well-aged, one-of-a-kind whisky that collectors will swoon over.

Jonny Fowle, spirits specialist at Sotheby’s, who manages private collections and presents authenticated bottles at auctions, said that whisky collecting has been on an upwards trajectory for the last 10 years.

“Whisky is incredibly diverse and offers collectors the opportunity to create their own personal journey into understanding its nuances,” he said, adding that people also collect whisky as an investment. “As equities and property seem less and less solid, I think people are looking to diversify. Whisky has proved itself as a pretty good bet in this area.”

Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker at The Macallan, says over the last five years the brand has seen “an increased interest in rare and collectable whiskies as appreciation for single malt Scotch has grown around the world.” For example, in October 2019, a bottle of The Macallan Fine and Rare 60-year-old 1926 set an auction record, fetching US$1.9 million at Sotheby’s London.

Collectors value quality, age, rarity and provenance. “But ultimately, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it can be difficult to prescribe exactly what will appeal to some collectors,” Fowle said.

Whether you’re new to whisky or a connoisseur, here are the latest luxurious and collectable launches that should be on your radar.

Diageo Prima and Ultima collection

In late July, spirits producer Diageo released Prima and Ultima, a collection of eight rare and vintage single malt whiskies, each hand-selected by Diageo master blender, Dr Jim Beveridge. The liquid within each bottle comes from small casks, each aged for decades, at various Diageo-owned distilleries in Scotland. Prima and Ultima, meaning first and last, represents the first and last vintage whiskies of their kind.