THE world's largest bottle of Scotch whisky has been returned to its owner after failing to sell at auction.

The rare 14-litre bottle of Tomintoul was expected to reach between £100,000 and £150,000 when it went under the hammer at McTear's auctioneers yesterday.

But valuers were left surprised when it did not meet its reserve and remained unsold.

Steven McGinty, whisky valuer from McTears, said: "It was unique but I'm not going to say I was disappointed because it will earn what the owners wanted under different circumstances. Today just wasn't the day when somebody felt inclined to bid for it."

The giant bottle was commissioned by the Tomintoul Distillery in Moray on behalf of The Clockhouse Restaurant and The Whisky Castle at Tomintoul, and is currently kept at Edinburgh's Whisky Experience.