Whisky Auction Update December 15, 2023: Racing for the Finish

The whisky auction scene shows no signs of relaxing as the end of the year approaches. Sotheby’s conducted a substantial sale of scotch, bourbon, rye, and Japanese whisky in New York this month, with details below on several historic and rare bottlings of Kentucky bourbon and rye that sold for $20,000 and more. Sotheby's reported that this sale received the highest-ever number of bidders in a Sotheby's spirits sale, and set new record prices for Glenturret, LeNell's Red Hook Rye, and Rathskeller Rye from 1983. Scotch Whisky Auctions celebrated their 150^th auction this month, with a bottle of Glendronach 1971 50 year old leading the sale with a hammer price of $22,588. With a number of online auctions slated for late December, whisky collectors can keep bidding until the ball drops at midnight and beyond in a bid to bag their first whisky bottles of 2024.

Whisky Auctioneer

Auction ended December 4^th

• Scotch: Samaroli Laphroaig 1967 15 year old, $57,467. The fourth bottle of Samaroli Laphroaig 1967 16 year old to sell at Whisky Auctioneer this year.
• Japanese: Yamazaki 25 year old, $12,630. A release of 1,200 bottles from 2003, labeled as Suntory Pure Malt 25 year old.
• American: Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2022, $10,609. A blend of well-aged straight bourbon and rye whiskeys, there were 328 bottles in the 2022 release.

Sotheby’s, New York – Festive Spirits and American Classics

Auction ended December 9^th

• Scotch: Glenturret Eight Decades by James Turrell , $160,000. Created by Glenturret Distillery’s whisky maker Bob Dalgarno in celebration of American artist James Turrell’s 80^th birthday with proceeds benefitting the Roden Crater Foundation, this sale set a new auction record for the distillery. The whisky bottled in a Lalique decanter was created from stocks from eight casks laid down during 1987­–1998.
• American: LeNell’s Red Hook Rye, $45,000. This signed bottle of rye from barrel no. 1 earned top dollar.
• Japanese: Yamazaki 1984, $11,000. This was bottled to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Yamazaki single malt whisky in 2009.

Unicorn Auctions “No Reserves” Auction

Auction ended December 10^th

• American: Old Rip Van Winkle Family Selection 23 year old, $23,600. This is the third highest price Unicorn Auctions have achieved for this decanter.
• Japanese: Hibiki 30 year old, $4,775. Rated 95 points, this demonstrates the mastery of Japanese blending.
• Scotch: Macallan M, $4,150. One of the 2,746 bottles from the third release of Macallan M in 2015, which beautifully shows off the natural color of the whisky.

Lot of the Week

Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke restaurant opened in 2002 on East 27^th Street, New York, and served up legendary barbecue in this location for the next 18 years. Below the restaurant was Jazz Standard, where you could carry on the party after dinner in toe-tapping style. Cocooned within the cherry red décor, it was the perfect place to sip a fine pour from their extensive bourbon list while appreciating the talented performances of the musicians on stage. Old Rip Van Winkle Blue Smoke 18 year old is a private label bottling and now a very rare find at auction, as many were opened and consumed. If only we could go back in time and tell those diners tucking into a full rack of baby back ribs mopped with Memphis barbecue sauce just what one of these bottles will be worth one day…

Lot: Old Rip Van Winkle Blue Smoke 18 year old
Sold at: Sotheby’s, New York
Hammer Price: $22,000

Upcoming Auctions
Bottles to bid on in the next few weeks:

January 2^nd, Irish Whiskey Auctions: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007 A discontinued glory from Jameson, this is a blend of some of their oldest stocks including stock matured in port pipes. It’s an expression that every Irish whiskey lover should try if they get the chance.

January 6^th, Whiskyauction.com: Port Ellen 9 Rogue Casks 40 year old One of 1,380 bottles, this was bottled in 2020 from four American oak hogsheads and five European oak sherry butts.