The most expensive bourbon ever sold is a bottle of ORVW 20 Year Old Single Barrel “Sam’s,” which fetched $162,500 at Sotheby’s in New York on 25 January 2026. It beat the previous bourbon bottle record of $125,000 from March 2025 and was estimated at only $70,000 to $100,000. This list covers the ten highest verified auction prices for bourbon, with the official shelf prices of the same brands at the end.
Scotch and Japanese whisky sell for far more, and we cover them in our guide to the most expensive whiskey in the world. Here we stick to bourbon, so rye and other American whiskey are out.
| Rank | Bottle | Price (USD) | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ORVW 25 Year, signed, distilled 1989 | $37,200 | Reported | Unicorn Auctions |
| 9 | ORVW Bottled in Bond | $47,500 | Jan 2026 | Sotheby’s New York |
| 8 | Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Family Reserve | $52,000 | 2022 | Auction |
| 7 | Buffalo Trace 1982 Old Fashioned Copper, 6 litre | $60,000 | 2022 | BlockBar online auction |
| 6 | Blackhawk 18 Year (Very Very Old Fitzgerald) | $100,100 | May 2024 | Unicorn Auctions |
| 5 | Van Winkle 18 Year “Binny’s” | $107,715 | Oct 2024 | Unicorn Auctions |
| 4 | Blackhawk 18 Year (Very Very Old Fitzgerald) | $112,500 | Jan 2026 | Sotheby’s New York |
| 3 | “Van Winkle Selection” signed blend, 2007 | $125,000 | Mar 2025 | Sotheby’s |
| 2 | Buffalo Trace 1982 Old Fashioned Copper, 6 litre | $154,000 | Reported 2024 | Unicorn Auctions |
| 1 | ORVW 20 Year Single Barrel “Sam’s” | $162,500 | Jan 2026 | Sotheby’s New York |
10. Signed 25 Year: $37,200
A signed bottle distilled in 1989 closed at $37,200 on Unicorn, according to the trade reports we found. Even the entry-level price here is about 74 times Pappy 23’s shelf price.
9. Bottled in Bond: $47,500
Also from the Sotheby’s January 2026 collection, a bottled-in-bond ORVW sold for $47,500. The catalogue lists it with the year 1917, which we could not cross-check, so treat the vintage detail as the auction’s claim.
8. Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Family Reserve: $52,000
Pappy 23 is the Van Winkle bottle most people have heard of, and a single example sold for $52,000 in 2022. We found the price but not the venue, so we hedge it. Its shelf price that year was $299.99.
7. Buffalo Trace 1982 six-litre via BlockBar: $60,000
In 2022 Buffalo Trace released five of the six-litre bottles through the online platform BlockBar. The five raised $280,000 for charity over five days, with a top bid of $60,000 for a single bottle. The same size of bottle later made a reported $154,000, which shows how fast the market moved in two years.
6. Blackhawk 18 at Unicorn: $100,100
The same Blackhawk label as number four, sold on 27 May 2024 for $100,100 after taxes and fees. At that point it was the priciest 750 ml bourbon on record. It was topped within months, and again after that.
5. “Binny’s 18”: $107,715
A Van Winkle 18 Year bottled for the Chicago retailer Binny’s in 2003 has about 80 to 100 bottles in existence. It originally retailed for $119.99. At Unicorn in October 2024 it closed at an $86,000 hammer, and $107,715 after a 15% buyer’s premium and a 10.25% tax, which made it the priciest 750 ml bourbon then. A bottle also made $106,250 at Sotheby’s in January 2026.
4. Blackhawk 18 Year: $112,500
Very Very Old Fitzgerald is a wheated bourbon label, and the Blackhawk 18 Year is a 1969 bottling that collectors chase. It brought $112,500 in the same January 2026 sale as number one, which is a price few bottles anywhere reach. Our model reads the sale as all-in, though the auction house did not split hammer from premium.
3. The 2007 signed blend: $125,000
ORVW stands for Old Rip Van Winkle, the family’s flagship label, and this bottle is a one-off. Julian Van Winkle III signed and dated it in September 2007 for that year’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival distillers’ auction, blending whiskey of 15 to 20 years from the old Stitzel-Weller stock at 125.6 proof. Sotheby’s sold it in March 2025 for $125,000 against an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000, with proceeds going to a Kentucky bourbon museum. Our figure follows the auction’s reported result.
2. Six-litre Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Copper: $154,000
Buffalo Trace filled a handful of six-litre bottles, the biggest bourbon ever packaged, with its 1982 Old Fashioned Copper vintage. One sold on the Unicorn platform for a reported $154,000, and the figure turns up as $153,000 elsewhere. The bottle holds the liquid of eight standard bottles, so the price per pour is modest. It is the record for any bourbon container, not for a standard 750 ml bottle.
1. “Sam’s” 20 Year Single Barrel: $162,500
Only about 60 bottles of this single barrel were filled in 2003 for Sam’s Wines & Spirits, a Chicago retailer that has since closed. The whiskey carries a 1982 vintage. It sat in a 360-bottle collection that made $2.5 million in total, double its low estimate, and every lot sold. Bidders tend to be collectors who treat the whiskey like a painting, which is why the estimate looked so timid.
The winning bidder paid a $130,000 hammer price plus $32,500 in premium and fees, and says it will stay behind glass. The number is the all-in total from the auction house.
Shelf prices versus auction prices
Official prices explain the madness. The Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year carried a suggested retail price of $499.99 in 2025, up from $299.99 in 2022 and $449.99 in 2024. The “Binny’s” 18 Year cost $119.99 at the register. The Van Winkle family released a rare 25 Year bottle in September 2025 through an auction instead of a shelf price, and bids sat at $15,000 on the first day. We could not find the final result, so it is not ranked.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
- March 2025: the 2007 “Van Winkle Selection” made $125,000 at Sotheby’s, a record for a bourbon bottle at that point.
- January 2026: “Sam’s” reached $162,500, with Blackhawk at $112,500 and Binny’s 18 at $106,250 in the same sale.
- January 2026: a 360-bottle American whiskey collection made $2.5 million, beating the $965,813 single-owner record from 2021.
Who is bidding
Single-owner sales pull in collectors who buy to hold, not to pour. The winning bidder on the top bottle said publicly that it would stay sealed behind glass. Estimates keep landing low: the top bottle beat its high estimate by $62,500, and 89% of lots in the January 2026 sale beat theirs.
The ranking also shows how much the auction route matters. Unicorn Auctions and Sotheby’s now compete for the same consignors, and the same style of bottle has sold at both within months. Binny’s 18 made $107,715 at one and $106,250 at the other, close enough to suggest a stable market price for that bottle, while the one-offs at the top are priced by whoever wants them most on the night.
What drives these prices
- Stitzel-Weller is the magic word at the top of the list. That distillery closed in 1992, and whiskey made there before then cannot be replaced.
- One-offs beat batches. The 2007 signed blend is described as the only one in existence.
- Retailer private barrels, once sold for around $120, are now worth hundreds of times that because few bottles were filled.
- Charity auctions and single-owner sales draw bidders who want a story along with the whiskey.
- Unopened, never-drunk bottles are the point. Buyers say they will keep them sealed behind glass.
FAQ
What is the most expensive bourbon ever sold?
An Old Rip Van Winkle 20 Year Old Single Barrel “Sam’s” bottle sold for $162,500 at Sotheby’s in New York on 25 January 2026. The price includes buyer’s premium and fees.
What was the previous bourbon record?
A signed 2007 “Van Winkle Selection” bottle sold for $125,000 at Sotheby’s in March 2025. Before that, the Binny’s 18 Year made $107,715 at Unicorn Auctions in October 2024.
Is Pappy Van Winkle the most expensive bourbon?
Pappy 23 Year has sold for around $52,000 at auction, and its 2025 suggested retail price was $499.99. Other Van Winkle bottles and Very Very Old Fitzgerald have fetched more.
Why is Van Winkle bourbon so expensive?
Much of it was distilled at the closed Stitzel-Weller distillery, release volumes are tiny and collectors treat sealed bottles as assets.
What is the most expensive bottle size of bourbon?
The six-litre Buffalo Trace 1982 Old Fashioned Copper sold for a reported $154,000 at Unicorn Auctions, the highest price for any bourbon container but not for a standard 750 ml bottle.
Is bourbon more expensive than Scotch?
No. The most expensive Scotch sold for about $2.7 million, while the top bourbon bottle sold for $162,500. See our whiskey guide for the full Scotch ranking.
How we put this list together
We ranked bourbon by verified auction price, using results from the major auction houses and online whiskey auction platforms compiled in an internal valuation model, with retail prices shown separately. Prices are approximate, mix hammer and all-in totals where noted, and change over time.
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Last updated: October 2026.
