1,2 Millionen Dollar hat man sich von der Auktion bei Sotheby’s in New York am vergangenen Wochenende als Erlös erwartet (unseren Bericht dazu finden Sie hier), geworden sind es dann 1,63 Millionen Dollar, die man für die Bourbons und Ryes erlöste. Spitzenreiter war dabei der Lenell’s Red Hook Rye 24 Year Old Barrell #4, der seinen Schätzwert auf über 43.000 Dollar verdoppelte. Aber auch andere Whiskeys konnten zu sehr viel Geld an die Kunden verkauft werden, wie die nachfolgende Presseaussendung beschreibt:
| Presseartikel | Für den Inhalt ist das Unternehmen verantwortlich |
Sotheby’s Achieves the Most Valuable Auction of American Whiskey – Sale of Bourbon & Rye Totals $1.6 Million
This weekend at Sotheby’s in New York, a sale of Bourbon & Rye Whiskey achieved $1.63 million – becoming the most valuable auction of American whiskey ever staged and doubling the pre-sale estimate.
The top lot was a bottle of Lenell’s Red Hook Rye 24 Year Old Barrell #4, which doubled its pre-sale high estimate, selling for $43,750 (lot 543). The price achieved matched the amount paid for a bottle in Sotheby’s sale of The Thoroughbred Collection in April 2021 – the company’s first American Whiskey auction – making this the most valuable bottle of Rye Whiskey ever sold at auction. In total, across all four of LeNell’s single barrel releases, only 852 bottles exist, making it not only one of the most valuable American Whiskeys ever produced, but also one of the rarest.
Sharing the top spot was a double vertical of Pappy Van Winkle from the 2020 and 2021 releases, comprising 12 bottles, which also realised $43,750 (lot 535). Other notable lots includes a bottle of Michter’s Single Barrel Bourbon 20 Year Old sold for $27,500, almost seven times its pre-sale low estimate (lot 482), and a case of six bottles of Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Year Old, which soared to $17,500, fifteen times its pre-sale low estimate (lot 606).
The sale was a resounding success, with close to 100% of the lots sold, and 75% of those lots achieving prices above their high estimates. With demand for American whiskeys invariably domestic and spread across the United States, 93% of the lots were acquired by collectors based in North America. Almost 60% of the buyers were new to Sotheby’s, and overall, 77% of the buyers were aged in their 40s or younger, and 42% were aged in their 30s or younger.
Featuring two of the most significant collections to come to the market in a single sale, the auction was led by the American Muscle Collection (lots 1 – 534), which takes its name not only from its unparalleled range of rich and robust US Bourbons and Rye Whiskeys, but also from the collector who built this significant catalogue of bottles. Rich “RJ” Gottlieb is the owner of one of the most legendary Chevrolets in existence, the 1969 “Big Red” Camaro, referred to by many as “the baddest muscle car ever”.
The second significant collection was The Three Continents Collection Part III (lots 586 – 750). These whiskeys were part of a 5,000 bottle-strong collection of Scotch and Japanese whisky as well as Bourbon and Rye from the USA that has been allocated across five Sotheby’s auctions in 2021 and 2022. This weekend’s sale exclusively contained American whiskeys from this collection.
Please refer to the sale page for individual lot results.
