Vintage spirits

Last updated March 31, 2024

Vintage spirits, also known as dusties, are old, discontinued, or otherwise rare bottles of liquor.^[1] The collectibility of a bottle is based on rarity, with age as a secondary factor.^[2]^[3]^[4] The name "dusty" refers to the fact that many such now-collectible bottles had been sitting on a liquor store shelf or unopened in a home or in a restaurant bar for years, collecting dust.^[4] In the United States, sales of vintage liquor is generally illegal, the exception being Kentucky, which is a frequent hunting ground for dusties for a variety of reasons.

History

In almost all US states such sales are illegal.^[5] According to bourbon expert Fred Minnick, laws surrounding the resale of liquor are “usually about restricting or empowering distilleries. Very rarely is there a legislation that you can pinpoint directly to benefiting consumers”.^[6]

According to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, "Secondary sales are a no-win situation. They hurt the small businesses that sell these products legally and put consumers at risk." The Columbus Dispatch adds that the risk is that bottles could have been tampered with, but notes that "Ohio runs all liquor sales inside the state, and these black-market sales bypass the state's system, which generates more than $1 billion in revenue a year."^[7]

Vintage spirits are legal for sale under Kentucky's 2018 Vintage Spirits law,^[3]^[5] known as House Bill 100.^[8] For a combination of other reasons, Kentucky has long been a frequent hunting ground for vintage spirits collectors.^[9] There are multiple distilleries in the state, and a large number of bourbon distilleries; bourbon in particular is considered highly collectible.^[9] Kentucky is also fertile ground for collectors because of the state culture. While distillers historically included bourbon in employee compensation packages, Kentucky is part of the Bible Belt, an area of the United States where many disapprove of drinking alcohol^[5] and where the temperance movement retains some adherents.^{[ citation needed ]} In Kentucky it is not uncommon to find unopened cases dating back decades stored in attics or basements.^[5]^[9]

Collecting

Collectors look for indications of a bottle's vintage. Bottles without a tax strip -- a piece of paper glued on over the bottle top and down the sides -- predate the 1990s. Bottles without a UPC code predate the 1980s.^[10] A government health warning means the bottle can't have been produced before the late 1980s. Measurements in milliliters were adopted after 1979.^[10]

Until the 2010s, it was not uncommon for collectors of vintage spirits to find bottles in liquor stores that had gone unsold for decades and buy them at their original sticker price.^[2]^[4] As of the early 2020s some collectors believe that most of what was worth collecting has been collected, but others believe there is still fertile territory.^[5]^[10] Some collectors have also built collections by stocking up on notable liquors and waiting for the value to rise.^[2]^[4]

Collectors value the inconsistency of older vintages.^[11] Bourbon, rum, tequila and other spirits can be collectible.^[11]

Professional buyers

Professional buyers sell to restaurants and amateur collectors.^[2] Top professionals use sources such as chefs, writers, and owners of liquor stores who have knowledge of collections in their local area.^[2]

Notable collectible spirits

Willett Single-Barrel 24 Year Old, a Japanese export product, was selling for $650 for a 2-ounce pour at Chicago's Mordecai restaurant in 2018.^[2] Buffalo Trace's Ancient Ancient Age 8 Year Old was only made for the Japanese market and so is sought after by collectors in other regions.^[2] An Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, barreled in 1965 and bottled in 1971, was estimated by its collector in 2016 to be worth $1,000.^[10] A 1974 bottle of Old House Reserve was estimated at $6,500 in 2023.^[1] A bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25 year old, from a defunct Kentucky distiller, was sold for $55,000.^[4]

Products from now-defunct brands or distilleries are especially likely to be collectible. Brands such as Hill & Hill from National Distillers and Old Fitzgerald from Stitzel–Weller are sought after^[9] even though while in production, they were considered lower-end brands.^[10] Some currently-produced lower-end brands such as Southern Comfort and Drambuie are also collectible in their older vintages.^[10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourbon whiskey</span> Type of American whiskey

Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name bourbon may not have been used until the 1850s; the association with Bourbon County did not appear until the 1870s.

Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.

Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.

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Old Crow is a low-priced brand of Kentucky-made straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Beam Suntory, which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of whiskey. The current Old Crow product uses the same mash bill and yeast as Jim Beam, but is aged for a shorter period of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodford Reserve</span> Premium small batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey produced by the Brown-Forman Corporation

Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced in Woodford County, Kentucky, by the Brown-Forman Corporation. It is made from a mixture of copper pot still spirits produced at the company's Woodford Reserve Distillery, and column still spirits from the Brown Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky. Each 45.2% alcohol by volume bottle bears a unique batch and bottle number. The brand was introduced in 1996. Domestic sales of Woodford Reserve surpassed one million cases in 2021.

Mr. Boston, previously Old Mr. Boston, was a distillery located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1933 to 1986. It produced its own label of gin, bourbon, rum, and brandies, as well as a few cordials and liqueurs.

Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, owned by the Diageo beverage conglomerate. It is characterized by a high rye content for a bourbon and being aged at least six years. It is bottled at 45% abv for the US, Canadian, British, Dutch and Mexican markets. For Australian and Danish markets, it is bottled at 40% abv. It is also sold in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, United States, owned by the Sazerac Company. It has historically been known by several names, including the George T. Stagg Distillery and the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. Its namesake bourbon brand, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey, was introduced in August 1999. The name "Buffalo Trace" refers to the ancient buffalo trackway that crosses the Kentucky River in Franklin County, Kentucky. The Sazerac Company purchased the distillery in 1992.

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Wigle Whiskey is an artisan small batch whiskey distillery in the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Wigle Whiskeys are the flagship products of Wigle Whiskey, which is entirely family owned and operated.

Old Pogue is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Located in Maysville, Kentucky, the Old Pogue Distillery carries strong family ties dating back to the 1870s, and is privately owned by members of the Pogue family.

Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey is a brand of premium single malt Irish whiskey produced by the Irish Distillers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard. The brand is named for historic Knappogue Castle in County Clare, Ireland, originally built by Clan MacNamara in 1467. Knappogue Castle is known for bottling one of the oldest and rarest known Irish whiskies, Knappogue Castle 1951, a pot still whiskey produced at the now-defunct B. Daly Distillery.

James E. Pepper is an American whiskey brand. The brand is named after a historic American whiskey maker with that name who built and operated a distillery in Lexington, Kentucky, and marketed his whiskey under his family's brand name "Old Pepper" and under his own name. The brand's distillery, known as the Henry Clay distillery and later as the Old Pepper distillery and James E. Pepper distillery, was shut down in 1958 and was left abandoned for more than 50 years until Amir Peay purchased the historic distillery site and relaunched the brand name in 2008. Distilling resumed at the site in 2017.

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Revival Vintage Bottle is a resale store and tasting bar in Covington, Kentucky, stocking vintage bottles of liquor and some new liquors. It is a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

References

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1 2 Patton, Janet (2023-06-03). "What was sold: Hard-to-find bourbons top sellers under Kentucky's Vintage Spirits law". Kentucky.com . Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
1 2 3 4 5 White, Olivia (2023-04-07). "Ask a Whiskey Pro: What Are 'Dusties'?". VinePair. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
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↑ McMahan, Dana (2017-04-12). "Grandma's vintage bourbon is now legal — and likely delicious". NBC News . Retrieved 2023-09-01.
↑ Malone, J. D. "Ohio cracks down on secondary market for booze". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved 2023-09-01.
↑ "17RS House Bill 100". apps.legislature.ky.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 Marshall, Wyatt (2016-12-29). "Inside the Dusty World of Vintage Spirit Collectors". Vice. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
1 2 Jarvis, Katherine (2024-03-27). "Dive into the Cult of "Dusty" Spirits". Garden & Gun . Retrieved 2024-03-30.