America’s Oldest Pre-Prohibition Whiskeys Are About to Hit the Auction Block

“Pre-Prohibition” is hyphenated, so there’s some debate about whether it’s one word or two. Regardless, its mere mention or utterance in print quickens the pulse of any collector or scholar of American whiskey. Pre-Prohibition bottles — meaning bourbons and ryes distilled before 1920, when temperance became the law of the land — are some of the rarest and most coveted spirits when they are intact, unopened, and in good condition. 

If you’ve ever wondered how a whiskey made more than a century ago compares to what’s being bottled today, your opportunity is here. Famed auction house Sotheby’s is auctioning the “Vintage Whiskey Collection,” which consists of more than 130 bottles from the early and mid-20th century, as part of its Whisky & Whiskey auction on June 12th. Among them are dozens of “pre-Pros,” as collectors call them, many still in their original cardboard packaging.

The collection showcases whiskeys from some of the most legendary distilleries of the era, including a circa-1910 Four Roses bourbon still housed in its original protective cardboard tube; an 18-year-old Old Mock distilled in 1916 by A. Ph. Stitzel (the predecessor of the Stitzel-Weller distillery); and a 24-year-old Old Stagg Reserve, produced in 1920 by the iconic Albert Blanton, for whom Blanton’s bourbon is named, and bottled in 1944. “I don't think there is any other 24 year old,” says Zev Glesta, Sotheby’s spirits specialist. “In fact, I guess at that point it was probably the oldest age statement of any whiskey out there…. This has never seen auction before.”

The rare bottles are part of the collection of Mark Wade, an Indiana-based enthusiast and amateur whiskey historian who co-founded the Vintage Whiskey Society. Wade, who works in the medical field, began collecting vintage bottles around the turn of the millennium, years before “dusty hunting” took off in popularity. His interest was sparked when a family member gifted him a bottle of E.H. Taylor bottled-in-bond bourbon from the 1940s. “I just fell in love with the idea of tasting history,” he remembers. “When I tasted it, I thought, Man, this is something I just don't get in a lot of the harder to find modern bottles. It had a funk, a depth, a sense of time. And I was hooked after that.”

“Mark has spent the better part of three decades immersed in the world of American whiskey, studying its significant role in shaping American history,” Glesta says of Wade. “His passion and relentless pursuit of understanding these deep roots, and the amazing people who made it happen, is matched only by the extraordinary depth of his collection.”

Many bottles in the collection were distilled before Prohibition took effect in early 1920, but were bottled shortly after Repeal at the end of 1933, or even during Prohibition itself, for use as prescription medicine — the Old Mock packaging, for instance, proclaims, “For Medicinal Use Only.” As a result, many of the whiskeys are aged for more than 15 years. 

Today, there’s a strong possibility that such prolonged aging could lead to an over-oaked, tannic, and harsh finished product. But distilling and aging were quite different 100-plus years ago. 

“Well, the wood is different,” Wade says. “Barrels are different. The grains are different. The water is different. You know, the great ryes of Pennsylvania and Maryland can no longer be produced because of the pollution…. This is lost in time. Grains and yeasts and wood that just can’t be recreated. It just doesn’t exist anymore.” 

Part of the magic, he says, also comes from the men who made the whiskeys: “A lot of it is, like, the master distillers of yesteryear and their unique tactics that they use to make just the best bourbon, best ryes that you’ll ever taste.”

Uncovering the provenance and history of the bottles in the collection required some detective work from Glesta and Forrest Price, a whiskey specialist at Sotheby’s. Strict governmental regulations came into effect for whiskey with the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which was one of the first consumer protection laws in the country. The law mandated that the distillery of origin be clearly labeled on every bottle, and a tax strip over the enclosure would indicate when the whiskey was distilled and when it was bottled. 

That was all supposed to take place at a single distillery. However, during and immediately after Prohibition, the laws were not as strictly enforced. 

“There’s a lot of loopholes in that era where it’s kind of convoluted,” Glesta says. “Trying to actually figure out where something came from, versus where it was actually aged, versus who bottled it. Sometimes the distiller, the bottler, and whoever aged it could be three different distilleries, and you’ll see all three printed on the label.”

Economic concerns and a general decline in spirits sales over the past couple of years have also impacted the secondary market. According to a report by Noble & Co., single malt Scotch whisky sales at auction dropped by more than 50% in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, that downturn hasn’t affected American whiskeys, particularly not whiskeys of this vintage. 

“It’s in its infancy still, I think that’s why,” Glesta says. “We’re fresh behind the ears, and auctioning American [whiskey] is also quite fresh.” That’s reflected in the prices. The most expensive Scotch single malts can sell for six or even seven figures, but even a highly desirable pre-Prohibition American whiskey can still be had for $10,000 to $15,000.

The relative newness of the category and the fact that the history of American distilleries is more complicated and convoluted than that of Scotland or Japan caused Sotheby’s to hesitate when it came to auctioning vintage American spirits. 

“American whiskey is new for these guys, and they very much take it with hesitance, which makes our job a little harder,” Glesta admits. “But I think we see why, because they’re exposed to much more fraud in Scotch, [whereas] we don’t see as much…. Four years ago, nobody cared about pre-Prohibition whiskey, so in terms of the amount of fake rebottling, we’re not seeing a lot of that. The technology is there. You can do it. So our life will be much harder very soon. But as of right now, it’s not so bad.”

Wade appreciates Sotheby’s thoroughness in vetting his collection. “I got some time with Zev,” he recalls. “And I just became impressed with how Sotheby’s was doing it, you know, how they review everything. They care about the provenance, the history — not everybody’s doing that.”

In addition to pre-Prohibition bourbons and ryes, there are a number of other noteworthy bottles in the auction, including one of the earliest surviving bottled cocktails, a Sazerac bottled by Thomas H. Handy & Co. around 1902, and bottled-in-bond whiskeys from the 1930s and ’40s by the likes of Old Taylor, Old Overholt, and Old Grand-Dad. (“Old” was a popular moniker for distilleries back then.) 

The auction represents a good chunk of Wade’s pre-Prohibition collection — he estimates it constitutes 50 percent — but he plans to reinvest the proceeds, which Sotheby’s projects at $200,000 to $300,000, into more vintage bottles. He explains that some of what he chose to sell is whiskey he’s already tasted: “I’ve had a good amount already open — tried it so many times. I just wanted more shared.” 

He also wants to raise awareness about the significance of American whiskey from this era. “I feel like a lot of people are missing the boat that are passionate about history, and I just want to really share the stories that are out there to get people more interested in James Crow and, you know, Isaac Bernheim and P.H. Stitzel and W.L. Weller…. There’s so much tied up in how we built this country. And I’m hoping that this auction kind of gets that.”

Sotheby’s “Whisky & Whiskey, Featuring A Vintage Whiskey Collection” auction runs through June 12th — bidding is open now. To acquire a bottle for yourself, or just to gawk at the many “unicorn bottles” going under the hammer, visit Sotheby’s online.