An anonymous U.S. buyer has just paid $160,000 for the No. 1 bottle of the ultra-rare Bowmore 1957, the oldest of the famed distillery’s single malt Scotch, at the Bowmore distillery on Islay in Scotland. The 54-year-old whisky, not only the oldest Bowmore ever bottled but also the oldest Islay Single Malt ever released, matured in a carefully selected oak cask from 1957 to 2011 in the distillery’s legendary No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland. The Bowmore distillery, which lies on the South Eastern shore of Islay’s Loch Indaal, is one of Scotland’s oldest, having been founded in 1779. Proceeds from the historic sale of one of the world’s most expensive whiskies will benefit five Scottish charities. 

The bottle which just sold is the first of only 12 to be created. As one would expect of a $160,000 whisky, the bottle itself is something quite special. Bowmore commissioned two of the world’s foremost glass artisans, Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns, to create a handblown and sculpted decanter in homage to the waves that crash against the walls of the No. 1 Vaults. The glass is inlaid with flecks of platinum and each decanter has a platinum neck collar hand-engraved with the bottle number and spirit strength, and a platinum stopper hand-crafted by Hamilton & Inches, the Scottish jeweler which holds a Royal Warrant from the Queen of England. 

The decanter comes in a box of Scottish oak handcrafted by renowned woodworker Peter Toaig, along with a set of glasses and a water pitcher also hand-blown by Nairn and Burns. The original plan had been to auction off the precious bottle last fall, but the distillery decided not to accept the high bid of $143,000. Of the other 11 bottles to be created, two will be kept in the Morrison Bowmore archives and nine more will be sold at the Bowmore Distillery, which is also offering a Bowmore 1964 Fino at $13,500.