How much does old whisky really cost?

Last night on Lost, the evil Mr. Widmore taunted Desmond with a drink of 60 year old whisky, telling him that one sip cost more than Desmond could make in a month. So I wondered, is old whisky really quite that expensive? The answer is that it's probably not that expensive, but it's pretty darn expensive. We turn to the Macallan vintages FAQ:

Some of these Macallan vintages seem very expensive compared with vintage releases from other distilleries; why?
The prices charged for these Macallan vintages reflect both their scarcity and the vintage year in which they were distilled. They also reflect the extraordinary prestige of The Macallan, which is regarded around the world as one of the greatest single malts. It has been referred to as, "The Petrus of the whisky world", "the Dom Perignon of Scotch" among other and many great accolades.

Will these vintages appreciate in value?
You have to be cautious with any prediction of future value, but it is true to say that The Macallan is regarded as the most collectable of all single malts, and that bottles at auction have seen a steady appreciation in value over the years. For example, a Macallan bottled for the Royal Marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981 was then retailed for £40. It now fetches £350 at auction. A bottle of The Macallan 1926 (bottled in 1986 as a 60 yo) sold for £6,375 at auction in 1991; in May 2002, another bottle of 1926 achieved the world record price for a bottle of single malt, £20,150!

You can purchase a bottle of Macallan 30 year old for £295.00.

The other question you have to ask is whether Macallan 1926 is any good?  Whisky magazine says it's good, but at those prices I'd expect something life changing. 

This post brought to you by a Google search for "whisky 60 year old".