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A gigantic haul of 3,900 bottles of whisky is due to go to auction in February next year featuring a 1926 Fine and Rare Macallan. The current auction record holder.
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Perfect' whisky collection could sell for £8m at auction

Mark Falco
Mark Falco

A gigantic haul of 3,900 bottles of whisky is due to go to auction in February next year.

We aren't talking about a boatload of Bells either, this is the good stuff.

Featuring some of the rarest and most expensive bottles in the world, the centrepiece of the auction is a 1926 Fine and Rare Macallan.

They don't come up for auction often, the first one to appear in over a decade sold for a colossal £1.5m at Sotheby's in October. This sale broke the previous world record, held by another 1926 Macallan which sold for £1.2m. 

The auction is the largest collection of whisky to be offered for public sale. Composed over the space of two decades, "The Perfect Collection" includes the largest collections of Macallan, Bowmore and Springbank. 

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As well as featuring some of the most famous bottles of whisky in the world, the collection also includes highly sought after bottles from long lost distilleries.

The man responsible for assembling such a rare and interesting collection is Mr Richard Gooding. A former Pepsi bottling magnate who amassed vast numbers of bottles on frequent trips to Scotland from his US home.

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Richard's grandfather, James A. Gooding, started the Pepsi Cola Bottling Company of Denver in 1936. Richard became the owner and Chief Executive Officer from 1979 until 1988, when he sold the company back to the parent corporation.

Mr Gooding passed away in 2014 and his family approached Whisky Auctioneer to auction the collection over two online auctions next year.

Mr Gooding’s widow Nancy said: "It was clear to us as a family that collecting Scotch was one of Richard’s greatest passions – an endeavour that spanned over two decades. He loved every aspect of it, from researching the many single malt distilleries to visiting them and tasting their whiskies."

"Richard truly loved and was proud of his collection and enjoyed sharing it with friends and fellow Scotch lovers in his ‘pub’ at home."

The 'pub' that Nancy speaks of is a giant room within their Colorado home with thousands of bottles worth millions of dollars on display.

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Whisky Auctioneers released the following video along with the announcement of the auctions. Take a look at the 'pub' yourself and find out more about this collection of elusive whisky.

AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare 60 Year Old - Currently holds the world record for the most expensive bottle of whisky sold.

The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60 Year Old - Last appeared for sale in 2018, where it achieved the world-record (at the time) for the most expensive bottle of whisky sold.

The Macallan 50 Year Old Lalique Six Pillars Collection - A full collection of The Macallan and Lalique's collaboration series.

Springbank 1919 50 Year Old - One of only 24 bottles produced.

Glenfiddich 1937 Rare Collection 64 Year Old - The oldest and rarest expression of The Glenfiddich. One of only 61 bottles produced.

Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore 29 Year Old 1st Edition - Mr Gooding's favourite dram. The auction will also feature The 1964 Trilogy - Black, White and Gold and The Cask Trilogy - Oloroso, Bourbon and Fino Casks, as well as the incredibly rare Bowmore 1967 Lairgiemeanoch 12 Year Old.

O.O. Old Orkney Real Liqueur Whisky circa 1940s - A window into an altogether different era of whisky production ​​​​​​from the long-closed Stromness Distillery.

Dallas Dhu 1921 Single Cask 64 Year Old - A historic rarity never before seen on the secondary market, or in fact by many whisky experts/connoisseurs.