Rare Scotch whisky tops world record auction price

A 157-year-old whisky was sold for more than 29,000 pounds (41,500 euros/59,200 dollars) Friday, setting what is thought to be a world record auction price for a bottle of Scotch.

The Bowmore single malt, which was bottled in 1850, was sold at McTear's auctioneers in Glasgow for 29,400 pounds to an anonymous telephone bidder, beating the distillery itself.



The hand blown pale green glass bottle and original cardboard carton in which it has been stored had been in good condition until one week before the sale. The delicate driven cork had dropped from the neck of the bottle into the whisky itself, leaving this extremely rare bottle requiring some renovation for the lucky purchaser.

Bowmore's brand director Glen Moore said they had planned to bring the bottle back to the distillery to take pride of place in its new visitor centre on the island of Islay, off Scotland's west coast. "We bid beyond the value limit we had set ourselves, but unfortunately, the winning bidder went beyond that."

Thanks Ewan!