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Three Rare Whiskeys from The Macallan and Van Winkle
Offerings from The Macallan Distil Your World and Van Winkle’s ‘Blackhawk’ and ‘Selection’ collections create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors of rare whiskey.
O n occasions, the whiskey universe coalesces around something entirely unique: a one-of-one bottle or maybe a one-of-two. Just seeing these is a rare treat. On even rarer occasions, more than one of these will appear in the same auction. At Sotheby’s New York’s Whisky & Whiskey auction, open for bidding March 5-21, something truly remarkable is taking place. Not one, not two, but three extraordinarily rare bottles of whiskey are coming to auction. It’s the kind of trio that may never see the light of day again for many, many years.
Old Rip Van Winkle ‘Selection’
The first bottle is probably the rarest and most coveted American whiskey ever made – Old Rip Van Winkle “Van Winkle Selection” Kentucky Bourbon Festival Master Distiller’s Auction 2007. This one-of-a-kind special blend was hand selected by Julian Van Winkle from 15-to-20-year-old barrels for the Annual Master Distiller’s Auction at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which took place on September 15, 2007. Julian Van Winkle recalls his son Preston creating the label on his computer 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.
The Van Winkle family history is labyrinthine, touching on nearly every major name of Kentucky whiskey. They joined the liquor industry when Julian Prentice “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. began working as a salesman in 1893 for W. L. Weller & Sons, a liquor wholesaler. The Wellers, another famous last name that in many ways runs parallel to the Van Winkle history, would later sell their company to Van Winkle and his partner, Alex Farnsley, in 1908. The oldest son of W. L. Weller stayed on as President of the company.
After prohibition ended, Van Winkle and his partners merged with Arthur Stitzel of A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery to form Stitzel-Weller. That distillery was in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood, but they would sell it shortly after their merger and build Stitzel-Weller Distillery in the Shively neighborhood in Louisville’s southwest. Famously, Stitzel-Weller celebrated its opening day on Kentucky Derby Day in 1935. (Since 1931, The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May.)
Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12-Year-Old ‘Blackhawk’
Appearing at auction for the very first time is the legendary Very Very Old Fitzgerald 12-Year-Old “Blackhawk” distilled at the famous Stitzel-Weller in Louisville, Kentucky. 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. Produced when Old Fitzgerald was the flagship brand of the Stitzel-Weller, led at the time by Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, they refused to bottle Old Fitzgerald at anything less than the Bottled in Bond Act (1897) minimum of 100 proof.
The Wirtz family business started out in the 1920s as a realty company, and in the 1940s they entered beverage distribution. The company found great success and still exists today as the Wirtz Corporation. In the 1950s the family bought its first stake in the Chicago Blackhawks hockey franchise and took full ownership in 1966. Given this bottling would have been before the Wirtz family’s full purchase of the team, the front label reads, “This fine whiskey bottled at its original barrel proof of 112 for Chief Blackhawk and his associates, James D. Norris and Arthur M. Wirtz.”
The Old Fitzgerald “Blackhawk” has sister bottlings of older age statement, the 18-year of which sold last year for $80,000 hammer. The 12-year is considered to be rarer and this is the first time the 12-year-old expression appears at auction, which was first release of the three private labels produced for the Wirtz family of Chicago.
The Macallan Distil Your World Mexico Single-Cask Edition
The third bottle is one of the rarest single malts from The Macallan. The Macallan Distil Your World Mexico Single Cask Edition is a “two-of-a-kind” whisky only obtainable at this New York auction. Only two bottles were made, with one being kept for their distillery archives, never to be sold. The Macallan, via their charity partner, Esperanza International, has once again chosen Sotheby’s to offer a unique, limited-edition, full-strength, single-cask version of their recent release of Distil Your World. This edition draws inspiration from Mexico’s culture. Proceeds from the lot will directly benefit Esperanza International, an organization dedicated to supporting home building and community development in Mexico.
The Macallan Distil Your World Mexico Single Cask liquid was drawn from a single American oak sherry seasoned butt filled on February 10, 2005, and 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 flavors. In an ongoing collaboration dedicated to the people of the world who love Macallan, their Distil Your World collaboration with the three-star Michelin and World’s Best Restaurant award-winning Roca Brothers aims to explore the melding of multiple cultures into a single glass. This series so far includes Distil Your World London, Distil Your World Mexico and Distil Your World New York. Given the talent level of the whiskymakers at The Macallan and the culinary genius of the Roca Brothers, those who choose to open their bottles will most certainly be delighted with their choice.
Sotheby’s team of Whiskey Specialists has curated three incredible bottles, culminating in an auction of the rarest sort. This extraordinary sale is currently open for bidding and begins closing online at 10:00am EST on Friday, March 21.
