It’s well known whisky is hitting new heights at auction and a whole barrel of the stuff has now sold for a world record price.

The 30-year whisky sherry hogshead cask from the Macallan Distillery sold for US$572,000 (£444,000) at auction house Bonhams in Hong Kong on 15 November.

The cask, which contains 261 bottles-worth of spirit, may be stored at Macallan for as long as the buyer wishes, or sent off to an independent bottler for distribution.

Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ Director of Wine & Spirits, Asia, explains: ‘Not only has this 30 year-old cask set the new world auction record for a whisky cask, but it is also the most expensive per bottle cask ever sold at auction, and is expected to produce 261 bottles valued at US$2,200 (£1,700) per bottle.’