Rare Bourbon and Rye bottles from The Great American Whisky Collection ahead of Sotheby’s American whisky auction in New York. Image: Sotheby’s

A $1.7 million American whisky auction at Sotheby’s will feature rare Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace, and historic bottlings.

BY KAZEEM ADELEKE, ARTCENTRON

NEW YORK, NY— Sotheby’s will put American whisky at the center of the auction world later this month, unveiling a landmark American whisky auction dedicated entirely to the category. The sale will take place on January 24 at the auction house’s newly opened Breuer Building headquarters in New York.

The auction, titled The Great American Whisky Collection, carries a high estimate of $1.7 million. Sotheby’s said the collection is the most valuable American whisky collection ever offered publicly. A total of 360 bottles will be on sale across 320 lots, reflecting strong demand for rare bourbon and rye.

A Record-Setting American Whisky Auction

The American whisky auction anchors Sotheby’s Visions of America series. The event is a weeklong program celebrating American art, design, and innovation ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The house is positioning the sale within a broader cultural context, placing American whisky alongside other expressions of national craftsmanship.

Sotheby’s is using the series to highlight objects that reflect American creativity and innovation, signaling a growing effort to elevate whisky beyond the spirits market and into the realm of cultural collectibles.

Rare Bottles and a Historic Collection

An anonymous collector assembled the collection over several decades. It includes private-label releases, exclusive single-barrel bottlings, and historic expressions that Sotheby’s describes as nearly impossible to source today. Several bottles will appear at auction for the first time.

Production dates stretch back to 1900, offering a rare cross-section of American whisky across generations. The breadth of the collection provides a historical view of how Bourbon and Rye production evolved through the 20th century.

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s global head of wine and spirits, said the collection reflects the growing recognition of American whisky as a serious collectible. He described the sale as unprecedented in scale and quality for a single-owner offering.

Van Winkle Bottles Lead the Sale

Bottles from Old Rip Van Winkle form the core of the auction and account for most of its estimated value. Sotheby’s said the grouping represents the strongest presentation of the Van Winkle family legacy ever assembled for auction.

Additional highlights include bottles from Old Fitzgerald, Red Hook Rye, Buffalo Trace, Michter’s, and Wild Turkey. Sotheby’s currently holds the auction record for a post-Prohibition American whisky bottle at $125,000. The top lot in the sale is expected to surpass that figure.

An Old Rip Van Winkle 20-Year-Old Single Barrel, bottled in 1982 for Sam’s Wines & Spirits in Chicago, stands out among the offerings. The distillery produced only 60 bottles, and the release remains the highest-proof Van Winkle on record.

The sale also features the four famed barrels of LeNell’s Red Hook Rye. These barrels are regarded as some of the most important rye whiskeys ever produced.

Expectations are that this sale will redefine expectations for future American whisky auctions, as collectors continue to pursue rare bottles tied to American history and production heritage.