An 18th-century bottle of Bourbon, believed to be the oldest known whiskey, sold at auction for $137,500. That’s more than four times the estimated selling price.

A bottle of Old Ingledew whiskey, believed to be the world’s oldest whiskey, was sold at Skinner Auctioneers’ June Rare Spirits online auction. The ‘oldest’ whiskey, which sold for $137,500, was purchased by The Morgan Library & Museum in New York. It was reported that the whiskey was acquired by the famous financier John Pierpont Morgan during a visit to Georgia.

Carbon analysis carried out by the University of Georgia and later evaluated by the University of Glasgow concluded that there was a 53% chance that whiskey was distilled between 1763 and 1803, between the times of the Revolutionary War and the Whiskey Revolution. At that time, it was common practice to store alcoholic beverages in large glass demijohns after aging in barrels, officials said, adding that the bottle was compatible with glass production in the 1840-70 period.

According to Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest known whiskey is a bottle of Baker’s Pure Rye Whiskey, which was distilled in 1847 and owned by Adam Herz in Los Angeles. The Old Ingledew bottle is believed to be one of three bottles given to members of the Washington political elite in the early 1940s by JP Morgan’s son, Jack Morgan.

Back

Archives

Recent Posts