Vietnamese businessman revealed as anonymous buyer of world’s biggest whisky bottle
August 31, 2023
Vietnamese businessman Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan was the anonymous buyer behind the world’s biggest whisky bottle that sold for £1.1 million (approximately $1.4 million) at an auction in Edinburgh, Scotland, last year.
Viet’s collection: Viet, whose collection already boasts the world’s largest bottle of cognac and the oldest bottle of whisky, took home the biggest bottle of whisky, called the Intrepid, to Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday along with a Guinness World Records certificate that authenticates it as the world’s largest, standing at 5 feet 11 inches.
“I’ve been spending my spare time collecting these bottles for decades,” Viet said, according to The Guardian.
“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.”
Viet’s whisky and cognac collection is reportedly worth an estimated 158.3 million pounds (approximately $200 million). His rare collections also include the 1926 “Fine and Rare” Macallan.
About the whiskey bottle: The Intrepid is a 311-liter bottle filled with 32-year-old Macallan single malt Scotch. It was named by Daniel Monk of the drinks wholesaler Rosewin Holdings, who said the Intrepid is in honor of the achievements of 11 pioneering British explorers, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dr Geoff Wilson, Karen Darke, Olly Hicks and Jamie Ramsay.
“This is a passion project to celebrate the life of my late father, Capt Stanley Monk, who was himself an explorer and achieved many amazing things during his life,” Monk said.
“Whisky paradise”: Monk shared his experience in visiting Viet’s collection cell, calling it “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,” Monk said. “He is preserving whisky history. We were honored to be Mr. Viet’s guests and to see his remarkable collection at first-hand.”
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