Whisky & Whiskey | Featuring The Wax Top Collection

Live Auction, 3 – 18 September

From left to right: Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon #8 “Chocolate Monster” 25 Year Old 90.2 Proof 1981 (1 Bottle, 75cl) (est. $13,000–18,000), A.H. Hirsch Reserve 18 Year Old 46.5% ABV 1974 (1 Bottle, 75cl) (est. $20,000–30,000) & Bowmore ARC-54 Year Old 44.3% ABV 1968 (1 Bottle, 75cl) (est. $40,000–60,000)

The Wax Top Collection, a meticulously curated offering of 328 bottles, represents the single largest collection of Willett Family Estate ever to come to auction at one time. It offers collectors an exceptional opportunity to acquire some of the rarest and most sought-after bottles from one of America’s most revered whiskey labels.

The wider sale features more than 250 additional bottles, spanning a comprehensive selection of Pre-Prohibition (pre-1900s) and Prohibition-era whiskeys, rare and collectible Scotch, and an impressive array of sought-after Japanese single malts.

Among the highlights of The Wax Top Collection are rare Willett Family Estate Single Barrels and the ever-sought-after “Epic Ryes,” including Doug’s Green Ink (est. $10,000–15,000 each) and Iron Fist and Velvet Glove (est. $10,000–15,000 each).

Also featured are the cherished 4/6/1993 vintage Willett Family Estate barrels, a mythical run of high-age-statement bottlings that are exceptionally well known among Willett collectors. Highlights include the Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon “The Wheated Patriot” 21 Year Old (est. $7,000–9,000), as well as several exceptional Wheated A, B and C Barrels that have never previously appeared at auction, including the highly sought-after C70A (est. $7,000–10,000).

Another standout is the exceptional array of A.H. Hirsch offered in the sale, including an A.H. Hirsch Reserve 18 Year Old 46.5% ABV 1974 (1 Bottle, 75cl) (est. $20,000–30,000). A.H. Hirsch occupies a uniquely revered position among American whiskeys, prized not only for its rarity and exceptional provenance, but also for its place in the history of American distilling. All aged Hirsch was distilled in 1974, a pivotal year in the history of American whiskey and a landmark vintage for collectors.

The sale features a remarkable 21-bottle single-owner collection, titled “Acquired from The National Distillers Museum Collection”, with all proceeds benefiting World Central Kitchen. Among its highlights is a Mount Vernon Rye 1874 (est. $4,000–6,000), acquired by the consignor in 1993. The bottle’s label offers a fascinating connection to William Henry Fearing (circa 1844–1904), a prominent New York wine merchant and broker active in the late 19th century. Fearing’s name has also been identified on bottles of Madeira dating from the same period.

The wider sale includes two charity lots. The Very Olde St. Nick Estate Reserve Vintage Collection A is a one-of-a-kind collection of three large-format bottles of Very Olde St. Nick 17 Year Old. Presented in a 1-litre format for the first and only time, the three bottles are housed in a reclaimed chestnut wooden case created especially for this auction. Proceeds from this lot will benefit The Big Wave Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Half Moon Bay, California, which provides lifelong housing, day programmes, and a supportive community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Bowmore ARC-54 Year Old 44.3% ABV 1968 (1 Bottle, 75cl) (est. $40,000–60,000) will also be offered, with proceeds benefiting The Foundation of Hope. Aged for more than half a century in exceptional casks within Bowmore’s legendary No. 1 Vaults, ARC-54 is an extraordinarily rare expression reflecting generations of distilling expertise. Housed in a visionary design that looks boldly to the future, ARC-54 brings together exceptional provenance, craftsmanship and rarity in a multidimensional expression of remarkable depth and intensity.