S otheby's New York January Whiskey is featured as part of Sotheby's Visions of America week, showcasing a selection of American art, objects and innovation from prominent private collections and institutions. Bourbon & Rye | America's Finest Whiskeys features an unparalleled assembly of the finest American whiskey and spirits dating from the late 19th century through the present day.
This exceptional sale will open for bidding on January 9, culminating with a live auction on Saturday January 25.
Bourbon & Rye | America's Finest Whiskeys offers a distinct tour through the last century of American whiskey, brimming with history as told by over 200 extremely rare and sought-after bottles.
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. Among the highlights is an extremely rare bottle of Stewart Pure Rye from 1898, placing it in the historical category of 19th Century Whiskeys.
Another notable entry is a 1910 vintage Green River Bottled In Bond, distilled in Owensboro, KY, at a distillery that was long defunct before recently being resurrected. Two other standout whiskeys are a bottle of Old Fitzgerald 17 Year Old, distilled in 1916 and bottled the year Prohibition ended (1933), along with two bottles of George T. Stagg's Antique Spiritus Frumenti distilled in 1917.
In addition, further highlights include four bottles of Old Mock 18 Year Old, a 1916 vintage from A. Ph. Stitzel, the distillery of lore that was the forerunner to the famed Stitzel-Weller.
The Stewart family traces its roots to Robert Stewart, whom according to 1900 census records, was born in 1836 in County Antrim, Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1854. In 1886 Stewart started a distillery in the Highlandtown neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, where he made rye whiskey that quickly grew in popularity. 11 years later Robert Stewart sold the company to Daniel H. and J. Haseltine Carstairs of Philadelphia, PA. The Carstairs Brothers were born into a business family, as in addition to the distillery, the two also managed the family import/export firm of Carstairs, McCall & Co. In the family since the late 1700s and headquarted in Philadelphia, the company was heavily involved in wine and spirits as wholesalers. A contemporary article from the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1908 states the two brothers were the 4th generation of Carstairs to lead the family business.
In 1909 a new company called the Stewart Distilling Company incorporated in Pennsylvania to consolidate operations between the Carstairs Brothers’ Stewart Distillery and Carstairs, McCall & Co. During this period the company found success with their Stewart Pure Rye and Carstairs Whiskey, marketing the latter as "the oldest American whiskey," likely a nod to the family's history of importing and exporting wholesale wine & spirits. With the onset of Prohibition in the 1920, by 1921 the Stewart Distilling Company was no longer listed in Philadelphia, but the Baltimore distillery remained in operation until 1925.
The sale contains four lots of whiskey and gin hailing from Stewart Distilling Co. These include full, original cases of Chandler gin as well as an incomplete original case of Carstairs whiskey and a bottle of Stewart Pure Rye, distilled way back in 1898.
The sale offers several bottles of Old Fitzgerald, the flagship wheated bourbon that made the reputation of Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, the distillery’s president, during the mid-20th century. Chief among them is a 15 year old “Very Very Old” Fitzgerald, distilled in 1951 and bottled in 1966, a piece of history that surely represents the apex of Stitzel-Weller’s artistry. Alongside it are two gallon-size bottles of 6 year old Old Fitzgerald – a 1969 vintage 100 proof and a 1972 vintage 86 proof called Old Fitzgerald Prime – young, yet surely to amaze.
No American Whiskey sale would be complete without a strong representation from the career of Julian Van Winkle III, who began as an independent bottler at his Old Commonwealth Distillery before moving to Buffalo Trace in 2002. Highlights include a 20 year old Cork N Bottle release of Van Winkle Special Reserve, considered the pinnacle of the legendary label, and a 14 year old Van Winkle Special Reserve that was amongst the first whiskeys ever produced under the family name.
Other noteworthy bottles include a 12 bottle case of Stitzel-Weller distilled Pappy Van Winkle 23 (2013 Release), a vertical featuring all six annual Van Winkle releases, and the oldest Van Winkle whiskey ever released – the so-called “Pappy of Pappys” – not only because of its unmistakable flavor profile but because it is by far the rarest, most coveted bottle Julian Van Winkle III has ever produced. There are also multiple whiskeys that Van Winkle produced under private-label contracts, including two separate Berghoff releases distilled at Stitzel-Weller.
Further highlights include this original case of Presdient's Choice Whiskey, selected by the President of Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation for its perfect balance and true Kentucky Bourbon flavor and set aside as the personal barrel of Haab's Restaurant. This is a custom distillation carefully aged for eight years in barrel #A296978. This rare bourbon was bottled by the direction of the President at actual barrel proof 112.8.
Beginning in the mid-1940s, long before single-barrel, barrel-strength bourbon became common, the Brown-Forman Co. offered the President’s Choice to friends and close associates. The name is literal – the company’s president, beginning with George Garvin Brown, personally selected the barrels, then had labels printed with the recipient’s name on it. As the label states, this whiskey, from barrel no. A296978, went to Haab’s, a storied restaurant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, that closed permanently in 2022.
Saving one of the finest more recent releases for last, the sale is highlighted by a bottle of Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon #8551 "Dug'z & Willy'z" 18 Year Old, considered amongst the unicorn of unicorns, making it the peak of present-day releases in this incredible auction.
