MORE than 1150 bottles of whisky have gone under the hammer at the Just Whisky July online auction.

The collection, which goes live on Saturday at 5pm and will be available for auction until Sunday July 21, features rare Macallan whiskies and includes a bottle of the distillery’s oldest expression to date – a 72-year-old single malt bottled in a Lalique crystal decanter.

The highly collectable dram was released last year to celebrate the opening of the new £140 million Macallan distillery and visitor centre.

An extremely rare bottle of Macallan titled “The New Range Rover” will also be available for bids. Released in the mid-nineties to celebrate the launch of the P38 Range Rover, this sought-after bottle is now worth more than the car itself.

READ MORE: Scotch whisky: Fears over industry amid Trump's tariff threat

Graham Crane, director at Just Whisky, said: “Every now and then an auction line-up comes along that has collectors and aficionados on the edge of their seats with excitement. This is one of those times.

“We are delighted to offer such high quality lots in July’s auction and includes some incredibly rare bottles which you won’t find at retail or in the resale market for years.

“The price for Macallan has gone through the roof with demand resulting in new, age statement releases being sold for tens of thousands of pounds more than the original retail price and non age statement selling for up to 800% more that the retail price within a month.

“We are thrilled to be recognised by our sellers as the number one auction for rare Macallan and we are looking forward to seeing the bids pour in.”

“Forget fine art and vintage cars, with investors from the USA and Asia rare whisky is the best place to put your money for the best return.”

Other Macallan whiskies included in the auction are the 50-year-old 1949 bottled in a specially commissioned Caithness Glass Millennium decanter, the 1948 Select Reserve and the 52 Year Old, which set a new Just Whisky auction record last month after selling for £58,000.

The market for rare and unique bottles has grown on a huge scale over the past 10 years, with recent Knight Frank research showing top whiskies have risen in value by 40%.

Visit www.just-whisky.co.uk to take part in the auction.