LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A historic Sotheby's auction netted more than $2.5 million for a bourbon collection that included dozens of rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle.
According to our partners at Louisville Business First, the 360-bottle auction was the first time in its 282-year history that Sotheby's held a live auction of American whiskey that was owned by one person.
Sotheby's said in a news release the entire collection, called the "Great American Whiskey Collection," amassed a record $2.51 million, about twice as much as Sotheby's estimate of $1.17 million to $1.68 million. A single bottle of 1982 Old Rip Van Winkle called Single Barrel "Sam's" sold for $162,500.
"This sale represents a defining moment for American whiskey at auction, underscoring the legendary status of the Van Winkle name and the extraordinary significance of the 'Sam's' Old Rip Van Winkle,” said Sotheby's Whiskey Specialist Zev Glesta in the release. “The result reflects the continued maturation of the global market for the rarest American whiskeys and a growing appreciation for the craftsmanship, heritage and rarity that define the very best of American distilling.”
The auction also set a record for being the most valuable single-owner spirits auction in New York State. The previous record was set in 2021, when the "Thoroughbred Collection" reached a total of more than $965,000 the day before the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby.
“The sale drew intense competition from determined collectors online, on the phones and in the room for some of the rarest and most coveted bourbon and rye ever bottled,” Sotheby's said in a news release.
To see the full collection, click here.
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