Amid the surge in demand for collectible whisky, Sotheby’s will offer The Timeless Whisky Collection – the highest value whisky collection ever to be presented in a standalone auction in the U.S. Comprising 497 lots, and with a pre-sale estimate of $1.6 to $2.1 million, the collection will be offered by Sotheby’s in New York on Sept. 23, with advance bidding open now.

Built over years by a dedicated collector in California, The Timeless Whisky Collection boasts 30 bottles that exceed 50 Years of age and a staggering 53 magnums, led by The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection (est. $400,000-580,000), which comes with a bespoke display platform and an exclusive experience offered directly from Lalique.

Together with The Macallan, the collection is also represented by Bowmore, Highland Park, Glen Grant, Tamdhu, Glenfarclas, Fettercairn, Glen Mhor, Glenglassaugh, Loch Lomond, Linkwood and The Glenlivet.

“The Timeless Whisky Collection showcases everything that collectors look for in whisky, from high value, highly aged bottles, to limited outturn and large format independent bottlings,” Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Head of Whisky & Spirits, North America and EMEA, said. “When we first started working on this collection, we were stunned by its scale and value, so we knew we would have to do something special in bringing it to auction.

“This is why we chose to commission the exquisite burr oak display platform for The Macallan Six Pillars Collection and worked directly with Lalique to offer an experience. The appearance of a collection of this magnitude sets yet another benchmark in the whisky auction market.”

The collector himself welcomed Sotheby’s Whisky team to his house in Los Angeles to perform an inspection. While wishing to remain anonymous, he said: “Whisky has been a passion of mine for many years. While I collect many things, cars, watches and art included, whisky has always been something that has held my attention. I will be sad to part with this collection, but it felt like the time was right for it to find a new home. I have still held back some of my favorite bottles to enjoy over the next few years.”

A recent wave of highly aged whiskies at auction have commanded exceptional prices, as age in the world of whisky collecting has become synonymous with rarity, due to the fact that not many barrels in bonded warehouses in Scotland make it to the age of 50 due to the rate of alcohol evaporation.

The sale of The Timeless Whisky Collection follows Sotheby’s offering of The Three Continents Collection of Scotch, Japanese and American whiskies. Presented across five separate auctions due to its scale, The Three Continents Collection became the second most valuable single owner collection of whisky ever sold by Sotheby’s – second only to The Ultimate Whisky Collection, which still stands as the most valuable whisky collection of all time at auction.