An ultra-rare bottle of bourbon is reported to have broken the record for the most expensive bottle of American whiskey to ever be auctioned. The final figure for the sale was an impressive US$107,715 on Unicorn Auctions.
The private barrel Van Winkle 18 year old was bottled exclusively for Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago and fetched a hammer price of US$86,000 before tax and other fees. Distilled on 10th June 1985 and bottled in 2003, the affectionately nicknamed ‘Binny’s 18’ had an original RRP of US$119.99.
It’s not known exactly how many bottles of the Binny’s 18 were ever released since the bottles were not numbered, but it is estimated that there was between 80 and 100. It’s also believed that many of the outturn were opened and drank at the time, adding to the current scarcity of bottles.
The Van Winkle 18 year old was also bottled at 60.8% ABV, making it the second highest proof Van Winkle to ever be released.
In short, the Binny’s 18 is a truly incomparable whiskey. It’s easy to see why it ranks among the most sought after bourbons ever and why it attracted such a high price.
The record for highest priced bourbon at auction was previously held by a historic 1969 release. The Very Very Old Fitzgerald Blackhawk 18 sold for US$100,100 earlier this year. The Fitzgerald Blackhawk shares some similarities with the Binny’s 18, in that they were both unfiltered, 18 year old bourbons with a similar proof.
There is a very small caveat to this success story however. The Binny’s 18 is certainly record breaking, but only within the ‘standard’ size category of 750ml bottles.
If you’re looking for something bigger in both size and value, a six litre bottle of 1982 Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Copper Bourbon holds the all time highest auction sale of bourbon with a price tag of US$154,000.
Fans of American whiskey will no doubt be delighted to see such legendary whiskies attracting eye-catching prices on the secondary market in a similar way to certain Scotch or Japanese brands have done in recent years.
However, needless to say that bourbon has some way to go before it catches up with the top Scotch hammer prices. The all time most expensive Scotch was the Macallan 1926 Adami, which sold for £2,187,500 in November 2023.
