The world’s largest bottle of Scotch whisky has just sold at auction for £1.1m ($1.375m).
The Intrepid, which stands at 5ft 11 inches tall and is filled with 311 litres of 32-year-old Macallan single-malt whisky, went under the hammer on Tuesday (25 May) at international auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull.
The expert auctioneers said interest came from across the globe with bidding taking place both live online and by telephone, with the incredible bottle eventually selling to an international collector.
Containing the equivalent of 444 standard bottles, the Intrepid was officially certified as the largest bottle of Scotch whisky in the world by Guinness World Records when it was filled last year.
Founder of The Intrepid Project, Daniel Monk, said: “For me and the whole team The Intrepid project has always been about more than money. This is a passion project to celebrate the life of my late father, Captain Stanley Monk who was himself an explorer and achieved many amazing things during his life.
"Today would have been his birthday so it was a perfect date to put The Intrepid up for auction."
Dedicated to his father, Daniel said the project was inspired by his passion for adventure, exploration and a desire to help raise money for several charities.
The team named The Intrepid to celebrate the drive and record-breaking achievements of 11 of the world’s most pioneering explorers who are featured on the bottle.
These include such luminaries as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dr. Geoff Wilson, Karen Darke MBE, Olly Hicks, Sarah Outen MBE, Dwayne Fields FRGS, Levison Wood FRGS, Felicity Aston MBE and past Scottish Adventurers of the Year Jamie Ramsay and Will Copestake.
Daniel added: "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. I’d like to thank everyone involved in The Intrepid project, which is dedicated to the spirit and experience of exploration and adventure."
The project is supporting the explorers’ chosen environmental, physical and mental well-being charities. These include Marie Curie, selected by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), chosen by Jamie Ramsay.
Gavin Strang Managing Director of Lyon & Turnbull said: “The Intrepid Collection, led by the world’s largest bottle of Scotch whisky, has attracted so much global interest. It has been an incredibly exciting project to be involved in and we at Lyon & Turnbull are delighted the auction has been such a success.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Daniel Monk and his team to help bring this project to fruition. 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.”
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