The Rare American Whiskey Selection 1976-1982 sold for £150,000 ($185,655). (Photo: Sotheby’s Auction)

A collection of five extremely rare American whiskeys sold for £150,000 ($185,655) in a Sotheby’s auction that closed Friday.

The sale decimated the lot’s estimated value, which was set at a wide range of £10,000 ($12,375)-£100,000 ($123,752).

The lot, titled “The Rare American Whiskey Selection 1976-1982,” comprised five bottles:

• Old Quaker Indiana Corn Whiskey 21 Year Old Limited Edition Barrel Proof
• Stitzel-Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition 17 Year Old Barrel Proof
• Taylor-Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition 17 Year Old Barrel Proof
• George T Stagg Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Limited Edition 16 Year Old Barrel Proof
• Buffalo Springs Kentucky Rye Mash Whiskey Limited Edition 15 Year Old Barrel Proof

The collection was created in 1997 by The Classic Kentucky Bourbon Company, which was owned by United Distillers, which at the time owned Bernheim Distillery and Stitzel-Weller.

The project aimed to create an annual release of five barrel-proof, highly aged whiskeys.

When the Rare American Whiskey Selection project was approved to launch, United Distillers merged with International Distillers & Vintners, forming United Distillers & Vintners, which became the spirits division of Diageo. At that point, The Rare American Whiskey Selection project was shut down.

At the time of the project’s cancellation, two sets of the collection had been bottled. One was sent to the Stitzel-Weller distillery, and the other stayed at the company’s headquarters in the United Kingdom. The set at Stitzel-Weller is believed to have been destroyed in the distillery fire, making this set the only one in existence.

If launched as planned — with a run of 6,000 bottles per release — The Rare American Whiskey Selection would have been groundbreaking. It’s quite possible it would be viewed with the same reverence as the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — which didn’t exist at the time of The Rare American Whiskey Selection’s planned launch.

Details About Each Bottle of The Rare American Whiskey Selection 1976-1982

Old Quaker Indiana Corn Whiskey 21 Year Old Limited Edition Barrel Proof

• Year: 1976
• ABV: 65%
• Distilled in: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
• Ullage (fill level): Very top shoulder
• Original tasting notes by award-winning whiskey writer Dave Broom from 1997: “‘Pale Yellow. Fragrant and gentle with cream and clover aromas. Gentle and smooth to start, then an astringent bite which yields to mellow stweetness on the finish.”

Stitzel-Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition 17 Year Old Barrel Proof

• Year: 1980
• ABV: 53.5%
• Distilled in: Shively, Kentucky
• Ullage: Into neck

Taylor-Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Limited Edition 17 Year Old Barrel Proof

• Year: 1980
• ABV: 56%
• Distilled in: Jackson County, Kentucky
• Ullage: Into neck

George T Stagg Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Limited Edition 16 Year Old Barrel Proof

• Year: 1981
• ABV: 57%
• Distilled in: Frankfurt, Kentucky
• Ullage: Bottom neck
• Original tasting notes by Broom: “Pungent and powerful. Lemon balm/lime zest leaning to aftershave. Clean, bitter chocolate spiciness that hits the mouth and then explodes and expands. Stunning, but not for the faint-hearted.”

Buffalo Springs Kentucky Rye Mash Whiskey Limited Edition 15 Year Old Barrel Proof

• Year: 1982
• ABV: 62.5%
• Distilled in: Franklin County, Kentucky
• Ullage: Into neck

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