17 Mar 2012

Rare tipple breaks auction record

12:11 pm on 17 March 2012

A bottle of whisky has sold in New York for a $US94,000 - a record breaking auction price.

The 1955 Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve is the third of 11 to be released to the public.

The first sold at Bonhams in Edinburgh in December for a record-breaking £46,850, topping the previous world record of just under £30,000 for a bottle of single malt.

The second was bought by an anonymous bidder at the Honourable Artillery Company in London for £44,000.

The whisky is being released to honour Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of William Grant, who founded the Glenfiddich distillery 125 years ago.

Mrs Roberts, who celebrated her 110th birthday in August, is the oldest living person in Scotland, a spokeswoman for the distillery said.

Each bottle of the single malt Scotch celebrates a decade of her life.

Proceeds from the sale, which occurred during a charity event on New York's Liberty Island, benefit the charitable arm of the sustainable development company SHFT.