A Single Bottle Of Pappy 23 Year Just Sold For Over $52,000

This past weekend at Sotheby’s in New York, a new auction record was set for Pappy Van Winkle when a bottle of 23 Year Old Family Reserve sold for $52,500 – more than seventeen times the pre-sale estimate (est. $3,000-4,000).

This particular lot, according to the auction house, saw two collectors battling “against each other to win the coveted bottle of their dreams, pushing the final sale price ever higher. Released in 2008, the whiskey was presented for sale with its original black velvet bag.”

In addition, all 14 of the individual bottles of Pappy Van Winkle on offer as part of Sotheby’s Whisky & Whiskey | Seasonal Spirits and The Yamazaki 55 auction sold for sums in excess of their high estimates, achieving a combined total of $396,250 (est. $31,000-44,000). Individual records were also set for the Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year Old ($9,375) and 20 Year Old ($27,500).

“It was exciting to be on the rostrum conducting the sale for this record-breaking bottle,” said Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Head of Whisky & Spirits, North America and EMEA, in a prepared statement, “which went far beyond anyone’s expectations. The auction marked a remarkable end to a year that has seen prices soar for American whiskey at Sotheby’s.”

The auction as a whole brought a total of $1,786,625, surpassing pre-sale expectations (est. $885,050 – 1,302,050). This year has seen sales of whisky at Sotheby’s in New York double, from $5.4 million in 2021 to $11.9 million in 2022.