(Forbes) - THIS OCTOBER Macallan hosted a party at the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan to celebrate the release of 1,000 bottles from its Annie Leibovitz Scotch collection. Prices start at $2,750 and each bottle comes with a limited-edition Leibovitz print. Marketing gimmick? Maybe–but just part of The Macallan’s bid as a category leader to elevate “investment-grade Scotch” (or ‘IGS’ as some already abbreviate it) to the same lofty plane as high-end art and wine. It’s working: Some 11,000 bottles have already sold at auction in 2012, up 550% over 2008, according to Scottish tracking firm Whisky Highland.