Auction Update: The 20 Highest Single Bottle Hammer Prices for January

January’s auctions confounded expectations, delivering impressive results that cut through the post-holiday lull. This list of the 20 highest hammer prices achieved a combined value of $984,579, up 20% compared to January 2025. Sotheby’s record-breaking auction of The Great American Whiskey Collection set a new record hammer price for American whiskey, with a bid of $130,000 for the Old Rip Van Winkle 1982 20 year old for Sam’s Wines & Spirits. This overtook the 6-liter bottle of O.F.C. 1982, a former NFT release, that took $122,900 at Unicorn Auctions, and last year’s $100,000 winning bid at Sotheby’s for the Old Rip Van Winkle Van Winkle Selection.

Dalmore produced January’s highest-value single malt scotch at auction, with Dalmore Constellation Collection 1964 46 year old attracting a hammer price of $67,622. WVA Whisky Auctions had a bottle of Macallan 1937 The Golden Age of Travel – The Ocean Liner in their auction, a rebottling of a whisky first bottled in 1972. Bidding reached an impressive $62,054, and seemed to be heading for Macallan’s best price of the month, but failed to reach the reserve, leaving Macallan with only two entries in the monthly 20-highest list. It’s unfortunate when such strong bidding yields no reward, especially when a bid this high is compared to recent results for this series. In September 2025, The Motor Car sold for $33,833 at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, and in March 2025, The Aeroplane sold for $30,875, and The Steam Train took $28,302. It’s the first time Macallan has not been at the top of the auction table. This is unprecedented territory, and for Macallan, there’s some work to do to climb back to the top.

The 20 Highest Single Bottle Hammer Prices of January 2026

Results converted to dollars using xe.com

20. Old Rip Van Winkle 25 year old Decanter
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $30,000

19. Old Rip Van Winkle 18 year old Blue Smoke
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $30,000

18. Hibiki 40 year old
Sold on: January 5^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $31,106

17. Old Rip Van Winkle 15 year old Old Advocate Special Reserve
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $32,000

16. Macallan x Bentley Horizon
Sold on: January 5^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $33,811

15. Old Rip Van Winkle 1988 15 year old for Woodside Partner’s Reserve
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $35,000

14. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old Barrel No. 3
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $35,000

13. Old Rip Van Winkle Bottled in Bond 1917
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $38,000

12. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 24 year old Barrel No. 2
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $38,000

11. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 23 year old Barrel No. 1
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $38,000

10. O.F.C. Bourbon 1909
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $38,000

9. LeNell’s Red Hook Rye 24 year old Barrel No. 4
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $40,000

8. J.W. Gottlieb Private Stock Straight Rye 1984 13 year old
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $45,000

7. Very Very Old Fitzgerald 1951 12 year old Blackhawk
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $48,000

6. Van Winkle Family Reserve 18 year old for Park Avenue Liquor Shop
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $50,000

5. Macallan The Red Collection 73 year old
Sold on: January 5^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $50,040

4. Dalmore Constellation Collection 1964 46 year old
Sold on: January 5^th at Whisky Auctioneer
Hammer price: $67,622

3. Van Winkle Special Reserve 1985 18 year old for Binny’s
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $85,000

2. Very Very Old Fitzgerald 1950 18 year old Blackhawk
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $90,000

1. Old Rip Van Winkle 1982 20 year old for Sam’s Wines & Spirits
Sold on: January 24^th at Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer price: $130,000

Each month, we publish the 20-highest hammer prices for single bottles of whisky. This table ranks the 20 brands by the sum of their hammer price sales and shows the latest month’s results.