Artist paints rare Macallan 1926 bottle
The owner of five rare Macallan 1926 whiskies commissioned an Italian artist to paint one bottle from his collection – and reportedly declined an purchase offer of US$10 million.
The Macallan 1926 60 Years Old, featuring a design by Irish artist Michael Dillon, became the first bottle of whisky to sell for more than £1 million (US$1.5m) at auction in 2018.
Another bottle of the same whisky (with a label designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami) set a new record of £2.2m (US$2.7m) during a Sotheby’s sale in 2023.
A bottle of The Macallan 1926, owned by collector Nguyễn Đình Tuấn Việt, has now been ‘transformed’ into a ‘one-of-kind’ artwork, dubbed ‘The Masterpiece Edition’.
Việt holds 20 Guinness World Records for his rare spirits collection and owns five bottles of The Macallan 1926.
The collector commissioned Italian artist Roberto Ferri to paint one of his bottles, featuring the Fine & Rare label. Ferri’s design, said to echo Dillon’s work, features two nymphs (Greek deities) that represent barley and oak – two key elements in whisky production.
“To paint directly onto a bottle valued in the millions was an immense responsibility; there was no room for error,” said Ferri, who spent two months on the project.
“I chose to depict barley, oak, water and flame as allegorical figures – the elemental forces that give birth to whisky. My aim was to elevate this bottle into a work of art in the classical tradition.”
Ferri used a classical oil painting method, applying overlaid transparent glazes over a base of gesso, walnut oil and pigments, which created three-dimensional depth. The bottle’s seal and wooden case are adorned with 24-carat gold leaf.
Việt claims to have declined an offer of US$10m for this newly designed bottle.
“The Macallan 1926 is already a symbol of rarity, but I wanted to give it a new chapter where art and heritage are intertwined,” Việt explained. “I see myself not merely as an owner, but as a guardian of this piece of history. My duty is to preserve it so that future generations may experience its timeless beauty.”
Only 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 60 Years Old whisky were created. The Macallan commissioned two leading pop artists, Adami and English painter Peter Blake, to design the labels for just 24 bottles, equally split between the pair.
Two more bottles were sold individually and given private labels, one of which was hand-painted by Dillon.
The remaining 14 bottles were adorned with a Fine & Rare label and are the oldest in the Fine & Rare series by age and vintage.
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