Speed’s Art of Bourbon Auction, Sept. 24, to Feature Rare Whiskeys, Experiences

Bourbon

September 16, 2020

The annual Speed Art Museum bourbon auction, which takes place Sept. 24, will be entirely virtual this year, featuring a wide range of rare bottles and VIP whiskey experiences.

The Art of Bourbon event for the past two years has auctioned off some ultra-rare bottles, and one centerpiece this year is a Black Bowmore 1964 50-Year-Old, which could bring up to $80,000. Only 159 bottles of the whiskey were produced, in part because of lost volume due to the angel’s share process. This forced two of the original seven casks two be combined into one, making the whiskey even less plentiful than was originally planned.

Interestingly, that particular cask was overlooked when the first bottles were released in 2007, and it wasn’t discovered again until 2014.

Another highlight of the auction, believed to be worth up to $22,000, is the opportunity to create a unique barrel with Rob Samuels of Makers Mark, along with nine friends. A similar Knob Creek experience, valued up to $18,000, also is a featured item, with the auction winner getting to choose their own barrel of Knob Creek Rye, with bottles from the pick being packaged with personalized labeling and info.

Other experiences include a rickhouse and barrel pick at Knob Creek Warehouse K and a VIP experience at Hermitage Farm that comes with six select bottles of whiskey, from a Weller Full Proof to a rare 1973 Old Fitzgerald “Hospitality Decanter.”

Bottles include items like a Michters 25 Year, a 1961 Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, a Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Year and many more, plus bottle collections from Peerless, Weller, Michters, Maker’s Mark and others.

All the auction items can be viewed at the Art of Bourbon website, and bottles are being added daily. The auction will be 7-9 p.m., with a pre-show at 6:30. All are free to bid, but pre-registration is encouraged.

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