A whiskey collector paid a record-setting $2.8 million for a rare bottle of Irish whiskey

Whiskey lovers who drop $100 or more for a bottle got off easy. The latest record-breaking bid for a coveted super-premium spirit: $2.8 million for a bottle of rare Irish whiskey.

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. says it has sold a bottle of The Emerald Isle triple-distilled Irish single malt whiskey for $2.8 million to American whiskey collector Mike Daley. That surpasses the price tag on the previous recordholder, a bottle of The Macallan 1926, which went for $2.7 million at an auction held by Sotheby's in November 2023.

Daley, who has a collection of several thousand bottles of Irish and American whiskies, and Scotch whiskeys, sees Irish whiskey on the rise. "Irish is the future of whiskey. I'm excited to be part of it, as a collector, but most importantly as a drinker," he said in a statement in a press release about the sale.

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The Emerald Isle Irish whiskey, which has been aged three decades in a variety of casks, has unique packaging, too. The bottle rests in a walnut case with a decanter, a pair of tulip-shaped sipping glasses, a one-of-a-kind Fabergé egg, a watch, whiskey stones and two Cohiba cigars. It's one of only seven sets the distiller made.

Some may say the packaging drove up the price, but the distiller argues the same could be said for the previous recordholder, which gained considerable value because its label had been designed by Italian painter Valerio Adami, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said in a press release.

Jay Bradley, founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., called the sale "a monumental achievement for my business. … I started The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. with the goal of making Irish whiskey the most coveted luxury spirit and restoring Ireland's reputation for crafting the finest whiskeys in the world, this brings us several steps closer to achieving that, and we're only six years into the journey. There's a lot more to come from us, and I'm excited for our customers and competitors to see what we have in store." 

Daley told Food & Wine recently "the rebirth of Irish whiskey is relatively new, so I feel like I’m getting in on the ground floor." The multi-millionaire says he displays much of his collection at his Bucks County, Pennsylvania estate, but some is stored away at his Delaware beach house.

“Luxury scotch, to me, is already a crowded type of market," Daley he said. "But we’re only just starting to see luxury Irish make a name for itself. I guarantee you that in the years to come, it will get to where scotch is today.”

lf you don't have a few million to drop on Irish whiskey, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has an upcoming release of The Donn, "a dynamically aged single malt brimming with dark chocolate, prune, and cinnamon notes, which is expected to retail for about $200, according to Food & Wine.

And if you fancy some swank scotch in special packaging, there's Dewar's Double Double 37-year-old set, (priced at $1,687.99 on ReserveBar), which comes with a pair of Baccarat crystal tumblers. The Scotch whisky has been aged four times and matured in Oloroso sherry casks previously used for aging Aultmore Single Malt.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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