Spirits Auction Closes Fri. 07/31 Featuring Whiskey & Other Spirits

From "The best bourbon you'll never taste" to some of the craziest spirits you've never heard of, our current spirits auction has it all. "The Best Bourbon You'll Never Taste" is the title of a book written about the 1974 A. H. Hirsch 16 Year Old "Reserve" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Humidor Edition) distilled at Michter's Pennsylvania distillery. 400 barrels were made in total, and it was bottled in several variations (Blue Wax, Gold Wax, and Gold Foil) before the final stocks were bottled in a hand-blown glass bottle and presented in a beautiful humidor. I have been fortunate enough to drink several bottles of this beautiful bourbon, across all of the different bottlings, and no matter which release I have had, the quality was consistent and amazing. The beauty of the humidor version is that even after the bourbon is long gone, the cigar humidor will still be around to remind you of the best bourbon you DID get to taste.

At the other end of the spectrum, perhaps under the heading of "I didn't even know it was something to taste" is the bottle of Kord "Bohemian" Czechoslovakian Kummel. Kummel is a sweet, clear herbal liqueur. Meant to be drunk ice-cold, this syrupy liqueur has notes of caraway, cumin and fennel. If cherries are more your thing, perhaps you should bid on the bottle of Antarctica Paulista Brazilian Cherry Brandy. Admittedly, while cherry brandy has limited uses, the bottle alone is well worth purchasing; the glassmaking appears to be early 20th century, and the history of its Antarctica Paulista is fascinating. The Company, founded in 1895 as a pig slaughterhouse, went on to become one of the largest brewers in Brazil, and through subsequent mergers is now a core component of AB InBev. From the early 1900s to mid-1900s, the company also distilled spirits. Antarctica Paulista was a trendsetter; well before the modern-day practice of corporate sponsorship for stadiums, the company owned the Estadio Antarctica Paulista where the Campeonato Paulista football (soccer) team played from 1920 to 1943.

Under the category "Maybe I did taste it, but after all of the hallucinations I forget my name" is a bottle of Pernod "Veritas" Liqueur. This is the real thing: absinthe that was banned worldwide, distilled in the one country that still allowed it to be produced at the time (1935-1936). Absinthe (also known as the "Green Fairy") was believed to cause hallucinations and severe chemical disorders due to the presence of a neurotoxin called thujone. The product was reformulated without wormwood for years until finally the whole concept of Absinthe causing any of these issues was debunked and the modern product reappeared on U.S. shelves in 2007. Interestingly, though, the modern product is essentially thujone-free (less than 10 ppm), so maybe this bottle does contain a bit of forbidden fruit...or at least enough alcohol at 136 proof to unlock your creative abilities and make you the next Toulouse-Lautrec.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the most valuable bottles ever to be listed in our auctions: the Midleton 48 Year Old "Very Rare Silent Distillery Chapter 4" Irish Whiskey. Far be it for me to say that it's underpriced (see how I said that but didn't say it?), but the lowest price on this bottle on WineSearcher is $46,000. The Old Midleton Distillery ceased production in 1975, but a few select casks remained after all these years. Bottled in 2023 at 48 years of age, and one of only 119 bottles produced and encased in a Waterford Crystal decanter and lacewood display case, this show piece is a work of art inside and out...and so much cheaper than those balloon-dog sculptures produced by Koons.

— Steven Birer, K&L Rare Spirits Auction Director

These incredible highlights, and the other curated selections below offer rich, diverse flavor profiles to enhance any spirits collection. Track the action here, set a keyword alert for your white whales, and don’t overlook lots with no bids as they're often the sharpest buys on the site.

Along with this featured auction, keep an eye on our weekly e-mails or set up a keyword notification to be alerted with updates on the hundreds of lots live at K&L every day. Looking for some of the sharpest buys on the market? Be sure to browse auction lots without bids for opportunities on remarkable collectibles at incredible prices.