Pre-Prohibition rye smashes estimated sale

A stock of pure rye whiskey that dates back to before the Prohibition has smashed its pre-sale estimate at a recent Chicago auction.

A case of historic rye whiskey has smashed its pre-sale estimate at auction, fetching US$19,120

Last week auctioneers Hart Davis Hart Wine sold a case of 24 pints of 1917 Dougherty’s Private Stock Pure Rye Whiskey for US$19,120, against its US$3,000-$4,000 estimate.

The whiskey was distilled before the Prohibition and then bottled in bond in 1930 at the Philadelphia-based Dougherty’s as a medicinal spirit.

This rye remains one of the only legally-bottled American whiskies from the era in existence.

Over 38% of all wine and spirits included in the auction exceeded their pre-sale estimates, making a total of US$8m in sales.

This figure has allowed Hart Davis Hart to confirm its status having the largest share of the U.S. wine auction market by over 50%, totaling US$24.7 million in 2014 sales.

In April, two rare Bourbon demijohns favoured by pre-Prohibition gangsters went under the hammer at Bonhams in New York.