Sotheby’s has announced its first-ever live, single-owner auction dedicated to American whiskey, which has been described as the most valuable collection of its kind ever to come to market.

The Great American Whiskey Collection will be offered at the iconic Breuer Building on Madison Avenue in New York. Estimated at between $1.17 million and $1.68 million, the auction comprises 360 bottles across 320 lots from a meticulously curated private collection.

Assembled over many years by a dedicated collector, the sale features an extraordinary selection of some of the rarest and most sought-after Bourbon and Rye ever bottled. Highlights include numerous private labels, exclusive single barrels and historic bottlings that are now virtually impossible to source. Several bottles will appear at auction for the first time, with many making their debut at Sotheby’s.

Spanning production dates as early as 1900, the collection is anchored by exceptional examples from Old Rip Van Winkle, which account for the majority of the collection’s value, alongside landmark bottlings from Old Fitzgerald, Red Hook Rye, Buffalo Trace, Michter’s and Wild Turkey. Sotheby’s currently holds the auction record for a bottle of post-Prohibition American whiskey at $125,000, and the sale’s top lot is expected to challenge—or surpass—that figure.

Headline lots include:

Old Rip Van Winkle 20 Year Old Single Barrel “Sam’s” (1982, 133.4 proof)
Estimate: $70,000–100,000
Bottled exclusively for Sam’s Wines & Spirits in Chicago. Only 60 bottles were produced, making it the highest-proof Van Winkle ever released.

Van Winkle 18 Year Old “Binny’s” (1985, 121.6 proof)
Estimate: $60,000–80,000
An exclusive single-barrel bottling.

Very Very Old Fitzgerald “Blackhawk” 18 Year Old (1950, 121.0 proof)
Estimate: $50,000–80,000
A private bottling for the Wirtz family, renowned for their association with the Chicago Blackhawks.

LeNell’s Red Hook Rye, Barrels 1–4
Estimate: $24,000–35,000 each
Only 852 bottles exist across all four barrels, making them among the most celebrated rye whiskies in the world.

Commenting on the auction, Zev Glesta, Sotheby’s Whiskey Specialist, said:
“The value, quality and rarity of these bottles are unparalleled. This is not just a great American whiskey collection—it is the collection, bringing together the finest examples ever produced. Each bottle tells a story, capturing a moment in history and preserving the lineage of a craft that continues to grow and evolve.”

The landmark sale forms part of Visions of America, a week-long auction and event series celebrating American art, objects and innovation, held to mark the country’s 250th anniversary.

Selected highlights from the collection are available to view from today on Sothebys.com, with advance online bidding opening on January 8th.