World's largest bottle of whisky containing over 300 litres sells for £1.1m at auction

The world’s largest bottle of whisky offering over 300 litres of Scotland’s national drink has sold at auction for £1.1m.

The 32-year-old Macallan single malt, named ‘The Intrepid,’ comes in a 5ft 11in-tall bottle and boasts the images of 11 of the world’s most famous explorers on its label.

An international buyer parted with a seven-figure fee to secure the unique item, but kept their identity secret after winning the auction at Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Experts describe the taste as “elegant, with subtle complexity,” with the final price working out at around £92 a dram.

Maker Daniel Monk, who started the project as a tribute to his explorer father, Captain Stanley Monk, said he had “achieved the dream” in creating the whisky.

He added: “This is a passion project to celebrate the life of my late father who achieved many amazing things during his life.

“The Intrepid project has been an adventure from the start. I wanted to do something positive over lockdown and the whole team has worked extremely hard with me to make it happen.

“I started contacting explorers during lockdown to get them on board and found people who could make and fill the largest bottle of Scotch whisky and together we have achieved the dream.”

Explorers including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Jamie Ramsay and Karen Darke adorn the side of the bottle.

Part of the proceeds are to support charities chosen by the explorers and their families, including Marie Curie and the Campaign Against Living Miserably.

The Intrepid was certified as the largest bottle of whisky ever made by Guinness World Record officials last year.

Gavin Strang, managing director of Lyon & Turnbull, said it had “attracted so much global interest” and was “delighted the auction has been such a success”.

“It certainly isn’t every day you get to auction a bottle of high-quality, single malt, that also happens to be a record breaker,” he said.