tags on every page of your site. --> Auction Spirits | Cigar Aficionado

The Big Smoke Returns To Las Vegas—Tickets On Sale Now

Auction Spirits

A little more than two years ago when the gavel went down on a bottle of Macallan 1926 for $54,000 at Christie’s auction house in New York City, the sale hammered in a new era for spirits buying in America. Until that landmark sale, spirits had not been sold at auction in the city since Prohibition began in 1920. Now, with in-town rival Bonhams ing the fray and a recent charity sale of 50-year-old Glenfiddich for $38,000, this avenue for distribution, which had been largely relegated to European events, is off and running.

Predictably, the American auction market has been dominated by Scotch whisky, but it has also been a conduit for interesting bottles of Bourbon (such as pre-Prohibition brands and whiskey legally sold for medical purposes during Prohibition) and Cognacs that may date back as far as 200 years ago. The first Christie’s auction was also where the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) chose to sell a bottle of rye it had distilled as part of the rebuilding of George Washington’s still at Mount Vernon. DISCUS also had been instrumental in the movement to reinstitute spirits auctions.

If you’re not ready to meet bids in the umpteenth-thousand-dollar range, consider that while such sales as the lot of three Bowmores, all more than 40 years old ($21,500 at Christie’s in October) snatch all the press, many excellent buys are to be had among the lesser lots. For instance, at a Bonhams sale in December, a bottle of 25-year-old single malt from the now-shuttered Port Ellen distillery went for $250. Even the Dalmore Fifty Years Old, which master distiller Richard Paterson describes as a “multiple orgasm” in a bottle was sold for $6,000—a bargain if you apply the right kind of Freakonomics.

The auction spirits market is driven on several levels. As in the wine market, investment is an obvious inducement, and Caspar MacRae of Glenfiddich says that demand for rarified malts is outperforming stocks. But part of the appeal of purchasing spirits is that with minimal care they will keep virtually forever in the same condition. Unlike with wine, you can also open a bottle, pour a sip and expect the remainder to remain unchanged for the next sampling.

As well as the history-in-a-bottle market, the auctions also make available to vigilant buyers new bottlings that are released in such small quantities that they never appear on your package-store shelf.
Visit bonhams.com/us and christies.com.

Drink

More in The Good Life

See all
The Cigar Lounge On Wheels

The Cigar Lounge On Wheels

The Mobile Cigar Lounge is a veteran-owned operation that fully-restored and redesigned a 1973 …

May 29, 2025
Trio Of New Monacos From TAG Heuer

Trio Of New Monacos From TAG Heuer

The F1 Monaco Grand Prix may be over, but you can still celebrate the famed race with this trio of …

May 28, 2025
Cigar Aficionado’s 2025 Father’s Day Gift Guide

Cigar Aficionado’s 2025 Father’s Day Gift Guide

Rather than thinking of a Father’s Day gift as an obligation to be met every third Sunday in June, …

May 23, 2025
Creating A Racing Haven In Charlotte

Creating A Racing Haven In Charlotte

The new Ten Tenths Motor Club is a car enthusiast's dream, and it's only just getting started.

Apr 17, 2025
A Rare, First-Edition Of The Savoy Cocktail Book Goes On Sale

A Rare, First-Edition Of The Savoy Cocktail Book Goes On Sale

One of the first editions of The Savoy Cocktail Book ever published goes on sale today at the ABAA …

Apr 3, 2025
2025 Els For Autism Pro-Am Raises $830,000

2025 Els For Autism Pro-Am Raises $830,000

Golfers were ready to tee it up at Old Palm Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for the 17th …

Mar 19, 2025
CIGAR AFICIONADO NEWSLETTERS
Check out Cigar Aficionado's newsletters, bringing you our latest ratings & reviews, cigar news and our guide to the good life.