''The holy grail of whisky'' has been sold for £848,750 at auction.

Bizarre on Female First

Bizarre on Female First

The special bottle of 1926 Macallan Valerio Adami has fetched such a large, record-breaking sum thanks to its rarity, vintage and special artwork.

Its label was designed by Italian pop artist Valerio Adami, who came up with labels for half of the 24 limited edition bottles, with British artist Peter Blake creating the others.

The whisky - which was created almost 100 years ago and bottled in 1986 - was sold to an unknown buyer at Bonhams in Edinburgh.

Martin Green, from the auction house, said: ''I am delighted at this exceptional result. It is a great honour to have established a new world record, and particularly exciting to have done so here in Scotland, the home of whisky.

Martin Green, from the auction house, said: ''I am delighted at this exceptional result. It is a great honour to have established a new world record, and particularly exciting to have done so here in Scotland, the home of whisky.

''The Macallan 1926 60-year-old has been described as the Holy Grail of whisky.

''Its exceptional rarity and quality puts it in a league of its own, and the world's most serious whisky collectors will wait patiently for many years for a bottle to come on to the market.''