Rare American Whisky Sells for €135,000 at Sotheby’s

A rare bottle of American whiskey set a new auction record in New York in January after Sotheby’s sold it for $162,500 - around €135,000.

Sotheby’s sold the Old Rip Van Winkle 20 Year Old Single Barrel Sam’s during The Great American Whiskey Collection, a single-owner sale that included 350 extremely rare bottles of bourbon and rye. The auction achieved a total of $2.5 million, more than double its initial estimate, and strengthened the growing status of American whiskey in the global luxury spirits market.

The record-setting bottle came from Kentucky’s historic Old Rip Van Winkle distillery. The distillery distilled it in December 1982 and bottled it in May 2003 exclusively for Sam’s Wines & Spirits. Julian Van Winkle III signed the release, and the whiskey came from a single barrel.

The bottle also stood out for its strength. It carried 133.4 proof (66.7% alcohol), the highest alcohol content ever released by the Van Winkle house. The distillery produced only 60 bottles, and it hand-numbered each one. Collectors consider most of them lost, consumed, or missing, which made the Sotheby’s appearance exceptionally rare.

Sotheby’s also reported strong interest from younger buyers. The auction house said one third of participants were new clients, and more than half were under 40. The figures highlighted how American whiskey now attracts a new generation of collectors who view rare bottles as cultural status symbols, lifestyle assets, and investment pieces.

The auction delivered other major results as well. Sotheby’s sold the Van Winkle 18 Year Old Special Reserve Single Barrel “Binny’s” for $106,250—around €89,000. The distillery bottled it exclusively for Chicago retailer Binny’s in the 1980s. It also came from a single barrel, measured 121.6 proof, and likely produced fewer than 100 bottles.

Two bottles of Very Very Old Fitzgerald “Blackhawk” also drew attention. The market never received the bourbon commercially, and producers bottled it privately for the Wirtz family, owners of the Chicago Blackhawks NHL team. Collectors regard the bottles as near “ghosts” because they rarely appear for sale.

Sotheby’s said the record-breaking auction reflected a broader shift in the premium spirits market. Distilleries now partner with high-end design and automotive brands—such as Aston Martin—to release collector editions aimed at luxury buyers.

The Sotheby’s sale confirmed that American whiskey has entered an era of “liquid gold,” where rare bottles often move from liquor shelves to vaults and are treated as museum-grade investment assets rather than drinks meant to be opened.