The 10 most expensive wines and spirits sold by Christie's in 2018

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The 10 most expensive wines and spirits sold by Christie's in 2018

Christie's the_macallan_1926_60_year old_michael_dillon_1_bottle_per_lot

Christie's

The Macallan 60 Year Old whiskey sold for more than $1.5 million.

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  • Christie's sold its most expensive spirit lot this year with a single bottle of 60-year-old whiskey that went for more than $1.5 million.
  • Six of the top 10 most expensive lots on this list were French wines, while the other four were rare and antique whiskeys.
  • Half of the lots on this list were sold in a single auction in London, the most successful wine and spirits sale for the auctioneer in 20 years.

This past year, auction house Christie's sold a bottle of whiskey that is worth more than seven times as much as the average American house.

In fact, it even broke a world record for the most expensive scotch to ever be auctioned off.

Nearly $3.3 million of the auction house's total sales in 2018 came from just 10 high-valued alcohol lots alone.

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Here's a look at the most expensive wines and spirits Christie's has sold globally in the past year, ranked in ascending order.

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10. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet 1986 — $120,960

10. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Montrachet 1986 —  $120,960

A dozen bottles of this French white sold for $120,960 as part of the most successful London wine sale in 20 years for the auctioneer.

9. Château Latour 1945 — $135,600

9. Château Latour 1945 — $135,600

One wine aficionado took home this rare case of 73-year-old Latour for $135,600 at the Geneva, Switzerland, auction in May.

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8. Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1999 — $136,955

8. Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1999 — $136,955

Selling for $136,955, this case of Cros Parantoux — produced in the heart of France's Burgundy wine region — was the top lot of Christie's Hong Kong wine sale this past fall.

7. Springbank 1919, 50 Year Old — $166,320

7. Springbank 1919, 50 Year Old — $166,320

The highest-valued single bottles of all Christie's 2018 wine and spirits sales were rare and antique whiskeys, including this $166,320, 50-year-old brew that once held a Guinness world record for the being the most expensive in the world.

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6. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $166,320

6. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $166,320

Wines from the Burgundy region are made from grapes that have been grown in unique soil that helps give them an earthy flavor unlike any other, and that's in part why this case of six sold for $166,320.

5. The Yamazaki 50 Year Old — $181,440

5. The Yamazaki 50 Year Old — $181,440

According to the watches and spirits review site Bexsonn, this whiskey — which Christie's sold for $181,440 — is "one of the oldest, rarest, and most singular expressions of Japanese spirit in existence."

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4. The Macallan 50 Year Old in Lalique — $181,440

4. The Macallan 50 Year Old in Lalique — $181,440

Sold for $181,440, this incredibly rare single malt was aged in a sherry-seasoned oak cask from Spain, Forbes reported.

3. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $332,640

3. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $332,640

On the same day Christie's sold a six-bottle lot of this luxurious wine in London, the auctioneer sold a 12-bottle case for twice the price, $332,640.

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2. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $362,880

2. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 1988 — $362,880

Although the same exact wine sold for about $30,000 less just eight months prior, this 12-bottle lot of Romanée-Conti sold for $362,880 in November.

1. The Macallan 1926 60 Year Old — $1,512,000

1. The Macallan 1926 60 Year Old — $1,512,000

The most expensive spirit sold by Christie's in 2018 was a single bottle of whiskey that sold for more than four times as much as the second most expensive lot, topping the list with a $1,512,000 price tag. The extremely rare collectable spent 60 years maturing in ex-sherry casks before being transferred to a bottle that was hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon.

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