THE world’s largest private collection of whisky to go to under the hammer has been revealed.

The haul, expected to fetch up to £8 million, comprises more than 3900 bottles.

It includes a bottle of 1926 Fine and Rare Macallan, one of which recently became the most expensive in the world when it sold for £1.5m.

Richard Gooding, a former PepsiCo bottling magnate, built the collection over decades, regularly travelling to Scotland with his pilot from his US home to source special bottles at auctions and distilleries before his death in 2014.

He kept the thousands of bottles in his own “pub” – a room in his family home in Colorado specially designed to display the collection.

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After being contacted by his family, Perthshire business Whisky Auctioneer will sell the collection over two online auctions next year.

Gooding’s widow Nancy said: “It was clear to us as a family that collecting Scotch was one of Richard’s greatest passions – an endeavour that spanned over two decades. He loved every aspect of it. He was always so pleased to acquire the bottles that he was searching for ... his mission was to collect a bottle that represented every single distillery.”

Iain McClune, Whisky Auctioneer founder, said: “What’s exciting about this collection is Mr Gooding really developed and built an extensive range of whiskies across the whole Scotch Whisky industry and from other countries as well.”

The collection will go on sale over two auctions, from February 7-17 and April 10-20 2020, via the Whisky Auctioneer website.