Western Pennsylvania’s important place in the world’s whiskey story is reflected in a few of the rare bottles that are available in a big auction presented by Whisky Auctioneer, which spells the spirit that way because it’s based in Perth, Scotland.
But the auction house spells it our way for its latest online sale of 600-some lots, which it is billing as a “bottled timeline of American whiskey history.” The auction runs Aug. 13-23.
The history is hot, as whiskey/whisky is fetching record prices, including $1,073,366 for a bottle of 1926 Macallan 60-year-old Valerio Adami that the auction house sold in February 2020.
Whisky Auctioneer says it has recorded a 600% increase in the volume of whiskeys from the U.S. in its auctions between 2016 and 2020, with value increasing over those four years by more than 900%.
This high-end online auction of American treasures pulled from several collectors has “expressions” spanning more than a century, and some of the oldest are bottles of really old Overholt distilled in West Overton, Westmoreland County, or Broad Ford, Fayette County, as far back as 1908, when the simple labels say the date and “Overholt Rye Whiskey,” not the later well-known “Old Overholt.”
Other whiskeys up for bid were distilled and bottled under the ownership of a company named for the Armstrong County town where it had a distillery, Schenley Distillers Corp., with highlights including a 1945 bottled in bond I.W. Harper bourbon and, also from that era, a bottle of Geo. A. Dickel’s Cascade blended whiskey.
In 1920, Louis Rosenstiel acquired the Joseph S. Finch distillery and another nearby distillery on the banks of the Allegheny River, and he rode out Prohibition selling some whiskey as “medicine” and aging much more to sell after spirits became legal again. It added distilleries in Kentucky and Indiana as it grew into one of the country’s “big four” distilling companies.
Not all the whiskeys and bourbons are old. Other highlights include bourbon bottled under the guidance of Julian Van Winkle Jr. from the legendary Van Winkle family — Pappy Van Winkle, Old Rip Van Winkle and Van Winkle Reserve, as well as a very rare 1975 Special Reserve bottled exclusively for the Corti Brothers of Sacramento — and a 1999 bottling of 16-year-old Stitzel-Weller bourbon produced for the Twisted Spoke bar in Chicago.
There are several examples of A.H. Hirsch 1974 Reserve, including Van Winkle’s first Lawrenceburg, Ind., bottling, produced on Feb. 26, 1990.
And there are highly collectible bottles of “Old Heaven Hill” distilled before the original Bardstown, Ky., distillery’s fire in 1996.
There are more than 65 expressions of Willett Family Estate bourbon and ryes, including some bottles autographed by Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Famer Even Kulsveen.
There are more than 40 commemorative decanters containing spirits from the Stitzel-Weller and Michter’s distilleries, and yet more booze from well-known brands Four Roses, Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark.
A Zoom preview for spirits writers was led by Peggy Noe Stevens, founder of the Bourbon Women Association and the world’s first female master bourbon taster. It included a tasting of five of the gold to amber liquids, including a 1974 straight rye labeled with just “Overholt 1810,” pointing back to when Abraham Overholt started distilling commercially at West Overton. Ms. Stevens was eloquent in assessing the rye’s aromas and flavors and finish, but she captured the essence of this auction by also describing the draw of the long and winding history of America’s longest-surviving whiskey brand. No really knows where this 1970s version was actually distilled.
Whisky Auctioneer director of content Joe Wilson explained how some think that because its then-owner closed the Broad Ford distillery in the 1950s, this Pennsylvania rye could have come from Michter’s in Pennsylvania, which only increases its allure. “It adds an extra layer of historical interest.”
The auction is open to bidders from around the world. You register an account (for about $7) and it must be verified if you want to bid more than about $2,800. Fees include a buying commission of 10% of the final hammer price, a non-U.K./European Union credit card fee of 3%, taxes and customs fees plus shipping, which is available to several states but not Pennsylvania, starting at $105 for a single bottle (with discounts the more bottles you ship). Find details at whiskyauctioneer.com. And enjoy the lush catalog at https://whiskylink.co/US-Digital-Catalogue.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: August 10, 2021, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: August 10, 2021, 11:45 a.m.
