Bonhams New York first sale of Whisky in 2010 will take place at 5pm on Tuesday June 22 at the company’s 580 Madison Avenue saleroom.
The auction features 554 lots, and marks the first various-owner auction devoted to Whisky to take place in the city since a 2007 law change allowed spirits auctions to take place in the state of New York.
The auction also marks the beginning of regular sales schedule for Whisky and Spirits at Bonhams in New York, with plans for at least two sale selections each year.
“Bonhams is committed to the sale of whisky and spirits across the globe. Along with our regular whisky sales in Edinburgh, we are now delighted to see the beginning of a regular auction schedule here in New York – and continue to develop our spirits offerings in Hong Kong,” says Malcolm Barber, Bonhams Group Managing Director.
The vast majority of the sale features single-malt Scotch whisky, along with a handful of blended Scotch and Irish whiskey lots. Estimates range from $40 to $9,000 a bottle, and the auction in its entirety may fetch over $200,000.
Highlights include a 190-lot collection that features substantial quantities of Silent Stills, Rare Malts and Gordon & Macphail bottlings. Within this collection notable lots include a 37 year old Bowmore matured in Bourbon wood (estimate: $1,800-2,500), and The Springbank Double, bottled in 1994 (estimate: $800-1,000).
A significant selection of The Macallan features prominently in the auction, including a bottle of The Macallan 50 Year Old Anniversary Malt accompanied by a letter from the Chairman Allan Shiach dated July 1983 (estimate: $9,000-11,000); an example from the 35th Private Eye Anniversary bottling (estimate: $550-700); and The Macallan 52 year old distilled in 1946 (estimate: $3,750-4,500).
Elsewhere in the sale, a bottle of Gold Bowmore is on offer (estimate: $4,200-5,000); along with a 1940s bottling of ‘Pinch’ in excellent condition and in original Christmas wrapping (estimate: $250-300); and a 35-lot collection of Glenmorangie (estimate range $150 to $1,200) that includes The Culloden Bottle, The Grand Slam Dram, and a 1976 bottling that celebrates the first commercial flight of Concorde (estimate: $650-800).
For more information about the department, please visit www.bonhams.com/whisky.
