The Oldest Whiskey in the World (+10 Other Bottles to Invest In)

by Anthony Zhang

A bottle of Evans & Ragland Old Ingledew Whiskey from LaGrange, Georgia, is believed to be the oldest whiskey in the world.

The bottle is said to be over 250 years old, but its age has been a subject of debate.

Interestingly, while it may be the oldest whiskey bottle, it’s nowhere near the most expensive one available today!

Let’s explore all about the oldest whiskey in the world, other old whiskey bottles to invest in, and why you should consider investing in them. We’ll also check out how you can invest in whiskey casks through Vinovest.

Further reading

Check out our Guide on Whiskey Investment which covers the 10 best bottles and some expert tips.
And if you want to explore other investment opportunities, check out this Fine Wine Investment Guide.

What Is the Story Behind the Oldest Whiskey in the World?

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The bottle of Evans & Ragland Old Ingledew Whiskey was a part of a trio that financier John Pierpont Morgan (JP Morgan) bought during his visit to Georgia. His son, Jack Morgan, gifted the bottle to James Byrnes (of South Carolina) in the early 1940s.

Jack Morgan gave the other two bottles to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

James Byrnes later gifted his Old Ingledew bottle to the grandparents of a gentleman named Rex Woolbright.

In 2008, Rex Woolbright discovered the whiskey bottle at his late uncle’s (Logan Drake) estate in Newberry, South Carolina.

Woolbright had the bottle assessed by Joseph Hyman, a spirits expert for Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers. Hyman extracted a sample of the whiskey and sent it to the University of Georgia for carbon dating.

The results indicated that the corn-based whiskey bottle was probably produced between 1763 and 1803.

But the Old Ingledew whiskey’s age was questioned when issues surrounding the authenticity of the carbon dating results came to light.

Despite all this, the bottle sold for a whopping $137,500 at Skinner Auctioneers in June 2021.

Why was the authenticity of it’s age questioned?

A few researchers estimated this whiskey’s age at 195 years, placing its origin in the 1820s. This still makes it older than the previous holder of the title — the 1847 bottle of Baker’s Pure Rye Whiskey.

Moreover, there is no record of an ‘Old Ingledew’ brand. The whiskey was probably bottled by a grocer and commission merchant, Evans & Ragland, in the 1860s. So, Old Ingledew could have been a proprietary label used by the grocer.

Besides, Skinner Auctioneers said that it was common to store spirits in large glass carboys or demijohns (large body vessels with small necks) after aging in a barrel. So, the bottle was consistent with glass manufacturing standards of the 1840-70 period.

Which are the other bottles that came close to holding the title of the oldest whiskey?

Baker’s Pure Rye Whiskey 1847: It holds the official Guinness World Record for the oldest whiskey. This rye whiskey bottle is supposedly 175 years old, but its price is yet to be determined.
Macallan “The Reach” 1940: This is considered to be the oldest whiskey in terms of time spent aging in the cask. It was aged for 81 years before bottling, and the first one in the collection sold for $340,000 at a 2022 Sotheby’s auction.

Now, you may be wondering:

Can you drink 100-year-old whiskey?

Yes!

Unlike wine, whiskey doesn’t age once bottled. This means it’ll still retain almost the same characteristics even after 100 years.

Now, which other old whiskeys are worth adding to your investment portfolio?

10 of the Finest Old Whiskey Bottles to Invest In

Here are 10 best whiskey bottles to buy:

The Macallan ‘The Reach’ 81-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 80-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Macallan Red Collection 78-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach 75-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Macallan Lalique 72-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Dalmore Trinitas 64-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Yamazaki 55-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky
Karuizawa Vintage 50-Year-Old Sherry Cask Aged Single Cask Malt Whisky
The Last Drop 50-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky
Hunter Laing The Sovereign Invergordon 50-Year-Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky

1. The Macallan ‘The Reach’ 81-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($299,609)

The Reach was distilled at the Macallan Estate in 1940 during the Second World War. It matured for 81 years in a single sherry-seasoned cask.

There are about 288 bottles of this whiskey. In 2022, master whisky maker Kirsteen Campbell unveiled the collection at a Sotheby’s auction.

2. Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 80-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($110,020)

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This 80-year-old whisky from the Glenlivet distillery was the previous holder of the oldest aged whisky in the world. There were just 250 decanters (designed by acclaimed architect Sir David Adjaye) made during its 2021 release.

3. The Macallan Red Collection 78-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($124,761)

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This 78-year-old single malt whisky (made from malted barley) has slowly matured under the watch of generations of whisky masters at The Macallan Estate. It was bottled in 2020, and it’s part of The Macallan Red Collection — one of the most expensive whiskey collections.

4. Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach 75-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($43,236)

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During its release in 2015, the 75-year-old Mortlach held the title of the oldest whisky ever bottled. It was distilled in 1939 and released in a batch of only 100 teardrop decanters.

5. The Macallan Lalique 72-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($131,891)

The Macallan 72-year-old scotch whisky is a celebration of the collaboration between masters of whisky, architecture, crystal, and craftsmanship. It was distilled in the 1940s and 600 Lalique crystal decanters were released in late 2018.

6. The Dalmore Trinitas 64-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($164,000)

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The rare Dalmore Trinitas is a mix of single malt spirits from 1868, 1878, 1926, and 1939. A cherished prize for any whiskey lover, this whiskey was aged for 64 years until only three bottles were crafted for sale in 2010.

7. The Yamazaki 55-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky ($894,624)

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This 55-year-old single malt whisky hails from the birthplace of Japanese whisky, Yamazaki. It was bottled in 2020 and is the oldest and one of the rarest single malt whiskeys from the House of Suntory (a spirits company).

8. Karuizawa Vintage 50-Year-Old Sherry Cask Aged Single Cask Malt Whisky ($170,345)

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The Karuizawa Vintage is a Japanese whisky that was aged for half a century in a sherry cask. It was distilled in 1969, and 473 bottles were produced from the cask and released in 2019.

9. The Last Drop 50-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky ($3,902)

The Last Drop is a blended scotch whisky. It comprises a blend of more than 82 whiskeys that spent 47 years in a bourbon cask and 3 years in a sherry cask.

10. Hunter Laing The Sovereign Invergordon 50-Year-Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky ($832)

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Hunter Laing’s “The Sovereign” is a single-grain scotch whisky that was distilled in 1964. It was left to mature in a bourbon whiskey barrel for 50 years.

The whiskey was released in 2014 in a limited batch of 252 bottles.

Fun Fact: For Scottish whiskey (scotch), a single malt whiskey must be distilled solely from malted barley and produced at a single distillery. But American whiskey could be advertised as “single malt whiskey” even if it’s produced from malted rye.

Other Investment-Worthy Whiskey Bottles (Which Are Not-so-Old!)

Here are some young premium whiskey bottles that might also be worthy investments:

The Last Drop 1980 Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky ($21,511)
Bushmills Distillery The Causeway Collection New American Oak Cask 30-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($1,047)
Chivas Regal 25-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky ($382)
Evan Williams 23-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($1,533)
Tullamore Dew 18-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey ($118)
Jack Daniel 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whisky ($340)

If you want to explore other old whiskeys, check out bottles from some of these renowned distilleries:

Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky:Established in 1775, the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort is a National Historic Landmark in the US. This American whiskey distillery mainly produces Bourbon and sells it under different brands, including its namesake — Buffalo Trace.
The Old Bushmills Distillery, Northern Ireland: Although the Bushmills distillery got its license in 1608, the company that built this Irish whiskey distiller was formed in 1784. The license makes this firm the oldest distillery in the world.
Glenlivet Distillery, Scotland: While it’s not even the oldest whiskey distillery in Scotland, it’s one of the best-selling distilleries in the world! It was established in 1824, and is known for brands like Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, and Royal Salute. The founder consolidated their distilleries, including the Delnabo or Glenavon distillery, when establishing their present Glenlivet distillery.

Why Should You Invest In Old Whiskey?

Here’s why old whiskey is a worthy investment:

The whiskey industry has seen stable growth over the last decade. For example, the Rare Whisky Icon 100 Index (which tracks the performance of 100 collector’s bottles) has grown by around 366% between 2012 and 2022.
Exceptional rare whiskeys usually show a stable price appreciation. For instance, the price of the 1965 Karuizawa Vintage 50 years whiskey increased from $47,534 in 2021 to $179,450 in 2022 — a 277% jump.
Rare, old whiskies often fetch high prices at auction houses. For example, The Emerald Isle Collection from Craft Irish Whiskey Co broke the record for the most expensive spirit auctioned when it sold for $2 million in 2021. Similarly, a unique bottle of the 60-year-old The Macallan 1926, which was hand-painted by artist Michael Dillon, became the first bottle to sell for $1.5 million at an auction in 2018.

So how do you invest in premium whiskey?

The simplest way is to buy bottles and store them until you decide to sell them at a profit. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds!

If you decide to buy from local shops, there are a few aspects you should take care of, including:

Differentiate a fake bottle from an authentic one
Identify which whiskeys are considered investment-worthy collectibles (like The Macallan M) and where you can find them
Calculate the fair market value of whiskey and its expected price appreciation
Arrange proper storage for your whiskey bottles

Looking for an easier way to invest in whiskey?

Invest in Whiskey Casks Through Vinovest

Vinovest (a full-stack, AI-driven whiskey investment platform) offers a simple and secure way to invest in the finest and most expensive whiskey casks. The platform helps you buy and invest in some of the top Scotch, American, and Irish whiskey casks.

The platform comes with many benefits, including:

Hassle-free ownership: Vinovest handles authenticating, storing, and insuring your whiskey casks. And you have the chance to sample your whiskey.
Greater savings: You can avoid intermediaries and extra commissions while investing through Vinovest
Professional guidance: The platform’s expert advisers will guide you toward creating a winning portfolio and an enviable collection.

And once you’ve signed up on the platform, all you’ll need to do is relax and watch the value of your collection grow!

Add Rare Whiskey Casks to Your Investment Portfolio

The world’s oldest whiskeys can make a great addition to your investment portfolio.

The best way to invest in the finest old whiskeys is by investing in casks.

Visit the Vinovest platform to place your bets on whiskey casks! This platform provides a data-driven and accessible way to invest in whiskey casks from all over the world.