The Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed a Vietnamese businessman is the owner of the most valuable whisky collection in the world.
Mr Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan’s collection of Ho Chi Minh City owns 535 bottles of old and rare Scotch and Japanese whisky, which valuation experts at Rare Whisky 101 estimate has an auction value of nearly $20.4m.
Included in Viet’s collection is the iconic 1926 ‘Fine and Rare’, which forms part of one of the world’s only complete collections of Macallan Fine and Rare. A bottle of The Macallan 1926 recently sold for $2.8m, including buyer’s premium; only 40 bottles of the whisky were ever released and Viet owns three.
Viet said: “For me, whisky collecting has been my life’s passion. Every spare I moment I get, I’m searching auction sites and trading websites to find famous and rare whiskies from around the world.
“As for my collection, I have no intention of selling any of it. Not one bottle. In fact, I’ll continue to hunt for more old and rare bottles and add to and enrich it.”
Other notable whiskies in the collection include one of only 12 bottles of the oldest Bowmore ever released as well as one of the 24 bottles of Springbank 1919.
It has taken Viet over 20 years to build the collection, which is secured in a bespoke whisky lounge at his home, and he said of record: “I’m really happy and feel honoured to be recognised by Guinness World Records as the owner of the world’s most valuable whisky collection. It feels like an acknowledgement of all my hard work over the past 20 years.”
RW101 co-founder Andy Simpson said: “We were somewhat gobsmacked, not to mention a little envious, when we realised the breadth and depth of Mr Viet’s collection.
“It’s a truly stunning example of one person’s 20-year passion and desire to seek out the finest, rarest bottles of whisky in the world.”