'Holy Grail of whisky' with label by Sgt Pepper artist set to fetch six-figure sum

A rare bottle of whisky with a label designed by the artist behind the cover for a classic Beatles album is expected to fetch £700,000 at auction.

The Macallan 1926 whisky is one of just 12 bottles featuring the label designed by Sir Peter Blake and is thought to be among the most expensive in the world.

The limited edition bottle has been kept by a UK collector since its release in 1986.

Sir Peter, 86, is best known for co-creating the album cover for the 1967 Beatles album, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, as well as the artwork for the 1984 charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas?

The whisky is officially described as 60 years old, having been created in 1926 and bottled in 1986 after sitting for more than six decades in a distillery in an oak cask brought from Spain.

It has been dubbed the "Holy Grail of whisky".

Bonham's whisky expert Martin Green said the drink is "dark honey-gold in colour and it is inconceivably smooth with a luscious hint of dry-sweetness in the malt".

Italian pop artist Valerio Adami also designed a handful of Macallan whisky bottles. One sold last year for £848,000 - currently the highest price paid for whisky at an auction.

The bottle of Macallan 1926 whisky goes under the hammer on 6 March at the Bonham's whisky auction in Edinburgh.