S otheby's New York March Whisky & Whiskey auction features some of the rarest bottles ever produced from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Leading the sale is Sotheby's latest partnership directly with The Macallan Distillery, a single cask version of The Macallan Distil Your World Mexico, offered exclusively through Sotheby's for the first and only time.
Alongside this are two incredibly rare and legendary bottles of American whiskey; a completely unique bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle, bottled in 2007 for a charity auction, and the inimitable Old Fitzgerald "Blackhawk" 12 Year Old, which appears at auction for the very first time.
This extraordinary sale will open for bidding on Wednesday March 5 and begin closing online at noon EDT Friday March 21.
The Macallan, via their charity partner, Esperanza international, have once again chosen Sotheby's to offer a unique, one of a kind whisky that will only be obtainable at this New York auction. This limited edition, full strength, single cask version of The Macallan’s recent release of Distil Your World Mexico draws inspiration from Mexico’s culture and people with key flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and crème brulee.
The auction offers collectors the first and indeed only opportunity to acquire one of two bottles created of this single cask whisky. The second bottle is to be kept in The Macallan archive, never to be sold.
"This exclusive auction of the Distil Your World Mexico Single Cask Limited Edition marks another milestone in our ongoing partnership with Sotheby’s, blending the artistry of exceptional whisky-making with a deep respect for culture."
The liquid was drawn from a single American oak sherry seasoned butt filled on the 10th Feb 2005, bottled at full strength with an ABV of 54.9% - the optimum level to deliver intense viscosity in mouth feel without impacting any of the subtle and complex layers delivering exquisite aromas and flavours.
This exceptional whisky is showcased in a vibrant orange presentation box with a marigold-themed interior design inspired by the Day of the Dead. The lot also includes an exclusive, bespoke artwork created by illustrator Alfredo Rios, who specializes in depicting nature and Mexican folklore.
Proceeds from this lot will directly benefit Esperanza International, an organization dedicated to supporting home building and community development in Mexico.
Tasting Notes
The nose has fruity notes of pineapple and citrus including grapefruit and orange peel alongside decadent richness of creme brulee and cinnamon spice.
On the palate, mouthcoating viscosity through notes of creamy dulce de leche, cinnamon dusted churros and almonds tumbled in caramelised sugar. Balanced with rich vanilla pod and charred pineapple.
The finish is long and sweet with tropical fruits, rich oak and dark chocolate.
The lion's share of the sale is devoted to a large collection from a single owner, property from a Fine Bourbon Connoisseur. This exemplary collection is highlighted by a unique Van Winkle bottling alongside the ultra-rare Old Fitzgerald "Blackhawk" 12 Year Old, the first time this bottle has ever been offered at auction. Acquired carefully over the last two decades, the collection is notable in its breadth and scope, featuring bottles from as far back as the early 1900s, all the way through to the current day from many different distilleries across America, many of which are sadly now confined to history.
The word 'unicorn' is often overused in the whiskey world, however its a word which truly applies to the headline bottles from this collection. The collection includes a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle, never seen before at public auction and completely unique. This 'one of a kind special blend' was hand selected by Julian Van Winkle from 15-20 Year Old barrels for the Annual Master Distiller's Auction at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which took place on September 15th 2007.
Julian Van Winkle recalls his son Preston creating the label on his computer to create the label for this special bottle ahead of the charity auction. The glass at the rear of the bottle is signed by Julian P. Van Winkle III and dated 9-15-07.
Also appearing at auction for the very first time is the legendary Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12 Year Old "Blackhawk". One of the rarest and most sought-after bottles of bourbon ever released, this was a private bottling exclusively for the Wirtz family, owners of the Chicago Blackhawks NHL team. The three extremely rare bottlings in this series are made up of an 18 Year Old (distilled in 1950), a 15 Year Old (also distilled in 1950) and this 12 Year Old, distilled in 1951 and bottled in 1963 at 112 Proof. They were never made available for public sale.
The collection also includes many other incredibly rare whiskies of varying ages including a number of impressive 'pre-pro' bottles, along with many other of the most collectible bottles of American whiskey ever released from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Old Rip Van Winkle, Black Maple Hill and The Society of Bourbon Connoisseurs.
The Van Winkle line of whiskeys needs no introduction: praised by celebrities, the subject of a bestselling book, it is by far the best recognized and most widely coveted whiskey in America. But while all the whiskeys bottled under its name are spectacular, not all Van Winkles were created equal.
The company’s history divides in two: There is the whiskey produced after Julian Van Winkle III began distilling and bottling at Buffalo Trace, in 2003, with its uniform age statements and bottle designs (except a few Singel Barrels and Decanters). Then there is the wide range of ages, designs and even sources he used before that. The last 20 years has been a great boon for Van Winkle and his whiskey, as the name, and his family, have become global whiskey superstars.
But only diehard fans know that the whiskey itself has changed, by necessity. Over time, Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace had less and less of his old whiskey to bottle, and came to rely more and more on whiskey distilled and aged to his specifications at Buffalo Trace. Van Winkle, who now collaborates with his son, Preston, has always been transparent about this fact – one that makes bottles produced before the mid-2010s significantly more valuable than those that came after, even if the new whiskey is still exquisite.
The Old Fitzgerald brand has its roots in a distillery called Stitzel-Weller, located just outside Louisville and overseen by a businessman named Julian Van Winkle, known affectionately as Pappy. Opened on Derby Day in 1935, it produced exclusively wheated bourbon – that is, bourbon in which the corn and malted barley grains are complemented by wheat instead of the usual rye. Though it was always a mid-size distillery, its whiskeys earned a national reputation, in particular its flagship brand, Old Fitzgerald.
Van Winkle died in 1965, and soon after the distillery’s fortunes began to decline, along with the industry as a whole. His son, Julian Van Winkle II, was forced to sell the company in 1972, but he was allowed to keep a certain amount of the distillery’s aging whiskey barrels and have right of first refusal to new ones.
This sale includes a number of different bottlings of Old Fitzgerald dating all the way back to 1948.
The sale includes numerous whiskeys produced before and during national Prohibition, which began in 1920, and features coveted bourbons and ryes from the best-known distilleries of the era. Not only was this whiskey distilled over 100 years ago, but distilleries incorporated a much wider array of grain fermentation methods, the grain itself was wholly different than the grain we grow today, and the stills used where of an entirely separate era of engineering. These traits combined mean pre-prohibition whiskey can never truly be recreated, making it extremely sought-after by collectors, drinkers and enthusiasts alike.
Highlights include bottles of Mount Vernon Rye and Old Crow Sour Mash from the early 1900s.
Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) is currently known as Willett. This small family run former NDP has a lineage of some of the greatest barrels of whiskey ever bottled. KBD-sourced barrels have shaped the modern American whiskey market in a monumental way and were among the first to be bottled at high-age statements and super high proofs, which is now commonplace in the industry.
When Even Kulsveen, a Norwegian immigrant who had married into the family, bought the Willett distillery in 1984, he quickly identified firstly that there was an immense amount of great, older whiskey aging at the big distilleries, but also that there was burgeoning overseas demand for expensive American whiskey. Most of this ageing whiskey was too old for most distilleries to be able to bottle and too expensive for them to sell. Kulsveenbegan buying as many barrels as he could, storing them in the Willett warehouses, and then bottling them for sale in places like Japan.
Kulsveen also developed a collection of small-batch bourbons for the American market, long before many of the major distilleries thought to do the same. Starting in the mid-90s, he began to bottle some of his whiskey for private clients who wanted to jumpstart a luxury brand – many of which went on to become legends in their own right; Black Maple Hill , Vintage and Very Olde St. Nick to name but a few. Indeed, many of the great whiskey brands released from the 1980s through the early 2000s, like Black Maple Hill and Society of Bourbon Connoisseurs were bottled by Van Winkle, but the lineage of KBD stock has its own chapter for great American whiskey.
