A Lot of Van Winkle Whiskey Is Coming Up for Auction

Looking for a more reliable way to track down some Pappy Van Winkle whiskies besides camping out at stores and stalking liquor delivery trucks? An upcoming auction on March 10, billing itself as the “world’s largest Pappy Van Winkle whiskey auction,” is set to happen from a North Carolina auctioneer, and will feature over 100 bottles of the highly coveted spirit.

Leland Little Auctions, through its Whisky & Fine Wine Department, is presenting quite the cross-section of bottlings from the Van Winkle lineup. Bidding will be available over the phone, and online.  According to them, included will be

over 40 lots of the prized 13, 15, 20 & 23 year old Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve whiskey as well as an exclusive Old Rip Van Winkle 23 year bottle of bourbon.  This rare bourbon, which was distilled in 1986, was hand-selected by Julian & Preston Van Winkle.  It is sold with a beautiful Glencairn crystal decanter, glasses, leather lined presentation box and carries a presale estimate of $5,500 – $6,500.  Bottles from the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in this sale were assembled from across the United States.

In addition to the Van Winkle bottlings, there are also a bunch of other whiskies available through the auction, including bourbons, rare Scotches, and a range of other spirits as well as wines. The auction house is billing this event as “its most impressive sale-to-date.”

“Five years ago few collectors had heard of us,” said Leland’s whisky & fine wine director, Mark Solomon, in a statement. “But today we have a strong local following that has been championed by the nationally recognized wine & epicurean scene.”