US whiskeys fetch record-breaking $1.6m

A selection of Bourbon and rye whiskeys fetched US$1.63 million at Sotheby’s last weekend, breaking the record for the most valuable auction of American whiskeys ever held.

By Kate Malczewski

The New York City-based sale boasted two major collections.

Built by Rich ‘RJ’ Gottlieb, the American Muscle Collection was named for the ‘robust’ US whiskeys that comprise it, but also for Gottlieb’s famous 1969 ‘Big Red’ Camaro muscle car.

Meanwhile, The Three Continents Collection Part III was part of a 5,000-bottle collection of Scotch, Japanese, Bourbon and rye whisk(e)y that had been sold across five Sotheby’s auctions over the past two years.

This most recent auction exclusively featured American whiskeys from The Three Continents.

Most valuable rye

One of the top lots in the sale was a bottle of Lenell’s Red Hook Rye 24 Years Old Barrel #4, which went under the hammer for US$43,750 – making it the most valuable bottle of rye whiskey ever sold at auction.

The other headliner was a double vertical of 12 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle from 2020 and 2021, which also achieved a price of US$43,750.

Further highlights included a US$27,500 bottle of Michter’s Single Barrel Bourbon 20 Years Old, and a six-bottle case of Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon, which secured US$17,500.

The auction showcased the domestic demand for American whiskey, as 93% of the lots were purchased by collectors in North America.

And while high-profile spirits auctions often attract older collectors, 77% of buyers in this sale were aged in their forties or younger, and 42% were in their thirties or younger.