Only 60 Bottles of This Incredibly Rare Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Exist — and One Is Up for Auction

An ultra-rare Pappy Van Winkle expression is up for auction. (Photo Buffalo Trace)

Gear Patrol reported on Tuesday that Sotheby’s is auctioning an extremely rare offering of Pappy Van Winkle: Lottas Home Papa’s Private Family Reserve.

The rye whiskey dates back to 1998 and hosts an ABV of 47.8%, and its estimated price is between $20,000 and $26,000. Just 60 bottles of this expression were filled by Julian Van Winkle III for Stephan Macha, the owner of Weine & Feines, a wine and spirits specialty store in Heidelberg, Germany. Macha named the whiskey after his daughter.

Those interested in bidding on the lot can click here.

The offering: Lottas Home Papa’s Private Family Reserve 13 Year Old 1998 (Photo: Sotheby’s)

At the time of this article’s publishing, the bottle had five bids on it. The current highest offer sits at $22,000. Bidding ends at 11:02 a.m. Friday.

The whiskey inside is the same juice Van Winkle incorporates in the Family Reserve Rye, and when the whiskey was bottled it was only sold as an export, making it very rare.

Sotheby’s describes the bottle as possessing a “very slightly worn” capsule. The front label is “worn and stained,” according to the auction house.

About Pappy Van Winkle

Few whiskeys have the celebrity status that is attributed to Buffalo Trace’s Pappy Van Winkle. The coveted whiskey has fans that range from Pope Francis to Anthony Bourdain.

Though the whiskeys typically have fairly reasonable MSRPs, due to general Pappy fandom some expressions like the 23-year can fetch staggering prices north of $50,000.

As for why Pappy Van Winkle is so desirable? Well, the whiskey is made in small batches, often hosts age statement and volume varies year to year but is generally low. According to Buffalo Trace the brand always focused on quality over quantity. Of course, the mystique of the hunt plays a major role. A Netflix documentary covering the theft of Pappy didn’t hurt its popularity, either.

“We make fine bourbon at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon,” said Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr.

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