Auction Update: American Whiskeys Projected to Perform Well in August

Many auction houses are taking a summer break, which means there are few high-value scotches around. Our month-end list of the 20-highest single bottle sales for August thus will likely include more American whiskeys and more sales under $20,000 than usual. Unicorn Auctions, with no letup in its auction schedule, has seen more American whiskeys sell for $15,000-plus than anywhere else. Its Curated Auction contained a treasure trove of dusty bourbons and ryes produced during the second half of the 20^th century, along with older Pre-Prohibition bourbons such as a rare quart bottle of Four Roses by Paul Jones & Co. that sold for $10,000.

The month so far has seen a fair amount of bulk selling: Unicorn Auctions sold the Springbank Millenium Collection for $27,500 and a 6-bottle set of Weller for $1,680, Scotch Whisky Auctions sold a 6-bottle set of Yamazaki 18 year old for $3,189 and a set of Macallan Edition No.1–6 for $2,934, while Grand Whisky Auction sold an 11-bottle set of the Icons of Wales series from Penderyn for $2,951.

Unicorn Auctions – Curated Auction

Auction ended August 5^th

• Bourbon: Old Rip Van Winkle 25 year old, $37,200. Since its release in 2017, this has been a regular top-performing bourbon on the secondary market.
• Rye: Old Rip Van Winkle Old Time Rye, $6,050. A highly prized 90-proof bottling from 1996 distilled at Medley in Owensboro, Kentucky.
• Scotch: Douglas Murdoch & Co. Port Ellen 17 year old Cask Strength, $830. A rare, independent bottling of Port Ellen bottled at 59.5%.

Whisky Auctioneer March 2024 Auction

Auction ended August 5^th

• Scotch: Macallan Fine & Rare 1979 40 year old, $22,341. Bottled in 2019, this was matured in a refill sherry puncheon.
• Japanese: Yamazaki Suntory Pure Malt 25 year old, $10,468. A bottle from the 2003 release of 1,200 bottles.
• American: Weller Millennium 2024 Release, $7,341. Lately making frequent appearances at auction, this is a blend of bourbon and wheat whiskeys composed of barrels filled between 2000 and 2006.

Scotch Whisky Auctions

Auction ended August 11^th

• Scotch: Macallan 1950 Tales of the Macallan Volume I, $61,231. The highest hammer price of the month so far, this result is in keeping with other appearances this year.
• Irish: Redbreast Dream Cask 38 year old Zenith Edition, $2,551. The seventh and final release in the Redbreast Dream Cask Series.
• English: The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.1, $1,021. The first release in the series, which was matured in PX and red wine casks.

Lot of the Week

Blended scotch is an often overlooked category at auction, so it’s always worth searching for the little gems that pop up from time to time. Whisky Auction had a pair of related blends from the 1940s–1950s era in its August sale. Both the spring cap bottles of White Horse and Mackie’s Ancient Brand were imported into the U.S. by Browne Vintners Inc. of New York City. Mackie’s Ancient Brand was the name of the U.S. bottling, but it’s the same liquid as bottlings of Mackie’s Ancient scotch. The interest in blends distilled and blended by White Horse Distillers from this era is the allure of whisky from Malt Mill forming part of the blend. Modeled on Laphroaig, this distillery was built in 1908 by Sir Peter Mackie at Lagavulin Distillery and operated until 1962. The auction of a lost cask of Malt Mill formed a storyline in the Ken Loach movie The Angels’ Share in 2012. While the movie used a fictional storyline, the reality is that these blends are the closest whisky lovers can come to tasting the whisky from this lost distillery.

Lot: Mackie’s Ancient Brand
Sold at: Whisky.Auction, August 6^th 2024
Hammer Price: $2,285

Upcoming Auctions

Bottles to bid on in the next few weeks:

September 12^th, Sotheby’s, New York: Bidding opens on August 29^th on a selection of whiskey and whisky.

September 15th, Irish Whiskey Auctions: The sale includes a set of Echlinville The Beginning, a field-to-glass duo of single pot and single pot still whiskey made from barley grown on the distillery’s estate farm in the Ard Peninsula in Northern Ireland. Bidding opens on September 6^th.