The Magnificent Conclusion of The Intrepid, World's Biggest Bottle of Whisky

The Intrepid, World's Biggest Bottle of Whisky Project is reaching its Finale!

Little did we know when we left our Intrepid bottle with, "We can't wait to see where she makes her home next!" in our May 2022 blog post about The Intrepid Auction's success – we were in for an amazing surprise! We have just returned from visiting her new home!

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Twelve months after The Intrepid Auction on May 25, 2022, our Director, Mr. Daniel Monk, received a message requesting the original Guinness certificate for The Intrepid from the anonymous collector who had acquired the World's Largest Bottle of Whisky for $1.4 million at the Edinburgh-based auction house, Lyon & Turnbull.

Before the Cask World team even knew who the mysterious collector was, Daniel, joined by his daughter, Amelia, and the certificate, had already set sail for Vietnam. Amelia was our photographer for the adventure. She couldn't resist snapping a playful shot of the certificate - all snug in its white plastic bubble wrap and rocking a pair of shades - during their flight to Ho Chi Minh City. And that’s how one of their best trips to Vietnam began…

Arriving in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Mr. Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan, the owner of the world's biggest bottle of whisky and many other world record-breaking whiskies and cognacs, warmly welcomed Daniel and Amelia. The Intrepid proudly occupies a corner in the entrance hall of his home, where it remains in excellent condition. With the cork neatly sealed and a full set of twelve 1/2-liter bottles at its base, Daniel was proud to see how well the new owner of The Intrepid bottle had sealed the cork and presented his creation exactly as it was the last time he saw it in 2021 when the Guinness world record was achieved in Huntly, Scotland. 

After chatting in the hall, they were led into a whisky dreamworld of the rarest and most valuable spirits collection on the planet, an almost impossible accomplishment - achieved over the last three decades. Mr. Viet, is known for his passion for seeking out the world's rarest, oldest, and most exquisite cognac and whisky bottles, who opens the door to his realm to very few.

Daniel's primary focus was on whiskies, but he also gained a wealth of knowledge about cognac as Mr. Viet took the time to share the history and intricate partnerships that had created each bottle. Some of them had never been handled or even photographed by anyone: the world's only complete Macallan Fine & 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, the world's most expensive bottle of whisky and many other rare and highly valuable whisky bottles and cognacs.

This is truly a whisky and cognac enthusiast's paradise, and having The Intrepid replica photographed right next to The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Valerio Adami and The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Sir Peter Blake and handing over The Intrepid’s Guinness World Record certificate to Mr Viet marked whisky collecting history!

Apart from the world's biggest bottle of whisky, Amelia, on behalf of her little sister presented Mr. Viet with a memento of the night: a miniature Dalmore bottle that appears in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the smallest bottles of whisky in the world.  Now Mr Viet has both the largest and one of the smallest bottles of whisky in the world.

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.

"The painting is mixed media (I threw everything at it)! Gouache, watercolour, acrylic, water-soluble crayon, pigment ink!!!" said Mrs. Haseman.

The night was completed with a Vietnamese and sushi dinner, endless gazing and exploring the overwhelming collection and the clinking of  Mr. Viet's favourite crystal glasses filled with 100-Year Old Louis XIII Cognac, The Macallan 50 Years Old, and Suntory Hibiki 30 Years Old Whisky!

"Amelia and I had a memorable evening, it was a dream come true to see the 3-year project, now 5 years later, The Intrepid, proudly displayed and added to a truly passionate collector's whisky war chest," Daniel added. 

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That's the magnificent conclusion of The Intrepid! The butterfly effect continues as Amelia now carries The Intrepid miniature, joining explorer Karen Darke, one of the 11 featured on the Intrepid bottle, to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. For the second time, she dedicated her climb to supporting street dogs and cats at Amandine Hand to Paw, following Amelia’s Everest climb in 2022.