The businessman took a little bit of the whisky back home with him

A businessman paid £32,000 for a rare Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, at the Pennyhill Park Hotel, Bagshot, Surrey, on 24 May.

Only 12 of the bottles were ever produced in 1943, and one was sold at auction in 2002 for just under £26,000.

The Surrey hotel said the man bought the whisky and drank almost all of it in one night with some friends.

General manager David Broadhead would not reveal the identity of the middle-aged buyer - thought to be from Berkshire - saying only that he was a regular hotel guest and a private collector of fine spirits.

"He's not a famous person, you wouldn't know him if you bumped into him in the street," said Mr Broadhead.

The Dalmore 62 is described as "a masterpiece forged from the Highlands of Scotland".

He's got the bottle and he's got the presentation case of course, so at least it's on his shelf as a memento

David Broadhead, Pennyhill Park Hotel

It was derived from four casks of single malt dating from 1868, 1876, 1926 and 1939.

The 12 bottles have their own hand-printed labels and bear unique names.

The one bought in Surrey was called Matheson, named after Alexander Matheson who was the owner of the Dalmore Estate.

One bottle has been kept by spirits company Whyte and Mackay while ten others are in private collections.

A spokeswoman for Whyte and Mackay said she believed the Matheson was the first Dalmore 62 to have been opened and tasted by its owner.

Pennyhill Park acquired it from The Whisky Exchange for £31,000, meaning its sale made the hotel a net profit of £700.

Mr Broadhead said it was bought to add to the hotel's range of fine spirits and he had never expected it to be sold.

Dalmore 62 Master distiller Richard Paterson said the Dalmore 62 should be enjoyed with Rwandan, Nicaraguan or Colombian coffee, 86% cocoa-fat chocolate and a particular brand of cigar

The sale happened late in the evening in the hotel's Ascot Bar and the businessman was with around five friends.

"He's got the bottle and he's got the presentation case of course, so at least it's on his shelf as a memento," said Mr Broadhead.

The bar manager - who negotiated the £32,000 price tag - was lucky enough to be offered a glass and told Mr Broadhead it was the "most beautiful thing" he had ever tasted.

Richard Paterson, master blender at the Dalmore Distillery in Ross-shire, Scotland, said he was glad somebody else had experienced the taste of the 62.

He said he would encourage the other owners to sip and savour theirs as well.