The anonymous buyer of the largest bottle of whisky ever created, known as The Intrepid, which made global news in 2022 when it fetched £1.1 million ($1.4m) at auction in Edinburgh, has been unveiled as a world record-breaking collector in Vietnam, who owns a whisky and cognac collection worth an estimated £158.3m ($200m).
This week, businessman Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan added the 5ft 11in bottle to his collection in Ho Chi Minh City, along with the official Guinness World Records certificate commemorating The Intrepid as the world’s biggest.
Conceived by Daniel Monk of Cask World and Rosewin Holdings in collaboration with Fah Mai Holdings, the 311-liter bottle was filled with 32-year-old Macallan single malt Scotch and bottled on behalf of Mr Monk at Duncan Taylor’s in Huntly before being put up for auction at Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh last year.
A seasoned investor in rare spirits, Mr Viet is celebrated for his three decades-long passion for seeking out the world’s rarest, oldest and most exquisite cognac and whisky bottles.
The Intrepid’s new home, in a property only visited previously by a very select few, such as heads of state and owners of Mr Viet’s favourite distilleries, sees it join treasures including the world’s only complete Macallan Fine and Rare series, the world’s largest bottle of cognac, the world’s oldest bottle of whisky believed to be almost 150 years old – Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky from the mid-Victorian era, and many other rare and highly valuable whisky bottles and cognacs, some detailed by David Robertson of Rare Whisky 101.
According to Knight Frank’s 2023 Wealth Report, early adopters of rare whisky bottles have achieved an impressive 373 per cent return over the past decade.
Mr Viet’s collection, which initially had a total purchase value of approximately £14 million, is now estimated to be worth around $200 million.
Visiting Mr Viet’s world-record breaking collection to hand deliver the Guinness World Records certificate this month, Mr Monk found The Intrepid in pride of place, surrounded by a complete set of twelve 50 cl bottles, including one replica and eleven featuring each of the explorers on The Intrepid, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dr. Geoff Wilson, Karen Darke MBE, Olly Hicks, Sarah Outen MBE, Dwayne Fields FRGS, Levison Wood FRGS HonD, Felicity Aston MBE and former Scottish Adventurers of the Year, Jamie Ramsay and Will Copestake.
Mr Viet said: “I’ve been spending my spare time collecting these bottles for decades. The history and traditions of whisky-making give each one its rarity, and that’s the value I see in each bottle. I was enticed to acquire The Intrepid for three main reasons: the fact it’s the World’s Biggest Bottle, it contains Macallan and because I was inspired by the record-breaking achievements of the 11 explorers depicted on the bottle’s label.”
To capture the moment for posterity, Mr Viet placed The Intrepid 32-Year-Old Macallan half-litre replica beside The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Valerio Adami and The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Sir Peter Blake selected from his 1926 collection, which has four bottles in total.
These multi-million-pound bottles were lifted off the shelves for the first time in many years when Mr Monk created whisky history by handing over The Intrepid’s Guinness World Records certificate to Mr Viet.
Mr Monk said: “Going into Mr Viet’s hallowed whisky collection was an unforgettable experience, it’s truly a whisky and cognac enthusiast’s paradise. It was a dream come true to see The Intrepid proudly displayed and added to the whisky war chest of such a knowledgeable and passionate collector. He is preserving whisky history. We were honoured to be Mr Viet’s guests and to see his remarkable collection at first-hand.”
As well as presenting Mr Viet with the certificate, Mr Monk also offered the new owner of The Intrepid an impressive piece of quirky artwork which he had commissioned to depict the project journey.
The mixed media painting by renowned Cornish artist Susan Haseman was warmly accepted by Mr Viet, who said it looks ‘amazing’ and plans to hang it on the wall beside The Intrepid.
