Hunting Dusties
A Historian's Collection of
American Whiskey
As part of our Distinguished Distilleries: Rare Spirits auction, Bonhams is honored to offer a collection of rare American whiskey boasting exceptional provenance and carefully procured over the last 25 years. The collection hails from Dr. Paul S. Hirsch – an award-winning writer and historian – who developed an effective system for discovering vintage and rare bottles of whiskey and became a leading authority with a robust community around collecting outstanding spirits. The 47-bottles on offer, boasting labels from a number of important distilleries, exemplify Hirsch's dedication to seeking out the best of the best.
"The hunt for American whiskies provided my second education in history and a primary education in generosity and hospitality. As a disabled American, my mobility was, and remains, limited, but finding wonderful bottles of whiskey enabled me to host tastings, dinner parties, and post-meal sipping sessions that sometimes ran until morning."
The First Sip
After an accident in 2000 left him an amputee at the age of 25, Dr. Paul Hirsch set out to begin a new life, entering a doctoral program in history in southern California. It was there that he stumbled across a bottle of Old Weller Original 107 Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey at a local liquor store, amused by the label which featured two scowling old men. That discovery turned a quest for American whiskies into a passion that helped heal his body and recuperate his mind.
Finding Hidden Gems
Interested in figuring out how many more gems were hiding in plain sight, Paul utilized his skills as a historian to develop a system for finding these treasures. He posited that liquor stores in areas that had been prosperous in the decades following World War II, but which had sadly since faltered, began pulling their high-end American whiskies from shelves in the late 1960s to replace them with more popular spirits like vodka and blended Scotch.
While earning a PhD in history, Paul traveled to many historical archives around the US and wherever he went, he hunted dusty and modern bottles of bourbon and rye that had been taken off the shelves. He learned to recognize tax stamps, bottles, and the evolving labels buried in the back of shelves or in liquor store basements. Sometimes these efforts yielded a stash of post-war whiskies or more modern treasures.
Beyond the Hunt
As a self-pronounced "whiskey geek," Paul also reveled in opportunities to share and savor his favorite bottles with loved ones. He hosted tastings, dinner parties, and sipping sessions, and even started his business, Barrel Strength Consulting. Paul reflects that: “The hunt was just a small part of being a whiskey geek; the most lovely and indelible experiences were shared with the people that helped me heal and advance. Pouring the whiskey, I'd discovered, was my way of thanking my friends, of bringing us closer together, and of celebrating or mourning the peaks and troughs of life."
Tasting Highlights
Willett Bourbon 25 Years Old Black Wax. Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000
Willett Bourbon 25 Years Old Black Wax. Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000
Few distilleries have had the sort of global impact that Willett has in producing some of the finest Bourbon and Rye in Kentucky. While Willett has produced dozens of brands, seldom putting their name on them, this bottle of 25 Year Old Bourbon proudly displays the Willett brand and stands as their flagship Bourbon, the longest aged of any product they’ve made in their almost 100 year history. This unique bottle was specifically selected and bottled for the California retailer, BevMo, and has been colloquially nicknamed “Chocolate Monster” for its rich, hedonistic style. Only appear at auction once before, who knows when this bottle will appear again.
Karuizawa 31 Years Old Noh 1981. Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Karuizawa 31 Years Old Noh 1981. Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Arguably the most famous Japanese distillery, and certainly the smallest, Karuizawa has been around since the 1950s, though it only started receiving its due fanfare recently. Originally created to meet domestic, Japanese, production, demand for the whiskey was too small and it was closed in 2001 with the land it stood on sold in 2012. Karuizawa whiskeys began to fully penetrate the US market in 2007 with their single-cask offerings of which this, the 31Year Old Noh, was selected and sold by K&L Wine Merchants. The distillery closed more than a decade ago and, even before that, production was extremely limited; who knows how many unopened bottles remain?
Willett Bourbon 21 Years Old Gold Wax. Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000
Willett Bourbon 21 Years Old Gold Wax. Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000
Another bottle produced from the famed Willett distillery, this specific one was selected and sold by California retailer K&L Wine Merchants. Aside from the storied history of Willett, K&L purports that this wheated Bourbon came from the Stitzel-Weller distillery, a fairly widely accepted belief in the collecting community. While Willett has neither confirmed nor denied that, if it’s true, it’s one of the last bottlings from the original Stitzel-Weller stocks.
Distinguished Distillations: Rarest Spirits
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