£200 eBay whisky box purchase lands Speyside man £138k
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A SPEYSIDE man has struck gold after discovering a rare whisky display case worth £138,600 on eBay for under £200.
Fraser, a 58-year-old whisky fan, instantly recognised the item as the case once home to a bottle of Macallan 1926 60 Year Old whisky with a label designed by Valerio Adami. The whisky for the bottle came from the legendary cask #263.
The contents of the cask filled 40 bottles in total, but just 12 of these bear labels designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami who is famed for his fragmented, abstract paintings.
However, records suggest at least two of these bottles have been lost or destroyed. One was reportedly opened and drank many years ago, and another was broken during a 2011 earthquake in Japan.
As a result of these incidents, there are thought to be only 10 of the bottles bearing Adami’s label remaining. In 2020, a Valerio Adami version of the 1926 60 Year Old sold in Perth for £924,000.
Fraser, from Speyside, first became interested in the tipple after receiving a gift from his wife.
He said: “My whisky collecting began when my wife presented me with a Macallan Private Eye.
"I subscribed to the magazine and my then dram of choice was a Macallan 10 year old. The perfect gift but one I thought far too special to break the seal of.”
After a while, the 58-year-old began collecting items in connection with the iconic brand.
He explained: “I turned my collecting interests more to merchandise and memorabilia.
"I had always appreciated the brilliance of Macallan branding and advertising so finding and collecting the treasures from beermats to bridge cards and a study of Albanian shopping malls was a pure joy.”
One day, Fraser turned to eBay to search for Macallan items. He was in disbelief when he discovered the incredibly rare Macallan 1926 case.
The double-glazed window salesman recalled: “When checking eBay one day, I could not believe my own eyes.
"The first image was a close up of a tiny plaque, inscribed with four numerals: 1926.
“I knew immediately where the plaque belonged and when I opened the set of images, there it was, attached to ‘The Million Dollar Macallan Box’. The 1926 Adami case was missing the plinth, had a hole bored in the bottom but it was undoubtedly the original home for one of the fabled 1926 Macallan bottles. The invitation to open the bidding was set at £199.”
Fraser went on to win the item, paying a grand total of £199. Ten years later he decided it was time to sell some of his collection he decided to get in touch with broker Mark Littler to get a valuation.
He was shocked to discover that the case was valued at £138,600.
Mark said: “This is an incredibly difficult item to value.
"However, bottles of rare single malt whisky missing their box regularly sell for between 15-30 per cent less than those with their original box at auction.
"The £138,600 figure is based on 15 per cent of the last bottle of 1926 Valerio Adami that sold (£924,000).
“My advice would be to check the labels on any Macallan – you could have a fortune sitting on your shelf.”
