Averys 40 year old whiskey

[sarge3535]

I have heard about a 40 year old Irish Whiskey by Averys believed made late 50s or early 60s - I have found details of a 21 year old bottle of thus costing £2000 - I wonder what the 40 year old bottle would cost and if it is any good

Steve

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Can you post a picture, main issue will be whether it is a blend or can be attributed to a distillery. Avery's were a well known independent bottler back in the 1960s and earlier.

[sarge3535]

I will hopefully be having a closer look at the bottle and may even end up owning the bottle if the price is right - pictures to follow if successful

[Joel1802]

Much of what they bottled was JJ&S Bow St. I also believe they did some DWD and perhaps some others as well. They didn't always identify the source. I think they bottled their last in the 80s, very old JJ&S.

[sarge3535]

I was the successful bidder and now the owner of this bottle of whiskey, hard to research but I believe this bottle originated from the 1960s and the whiskey was produced in 1920s - anybodys guess what this may be worth - the seal is 90% intact so it has not been opened - any thoughts please let me know - steve

happy to forward pictures of the label - but file too big for on here

Full label details are (from top to bottom)
AVERYS
(logo of a sail ship on the sea with a rope border)
Supreme
Irish Whiskey
Dublin Whiskey Distillery
40 years Old
Bottled by
Averys of Bristol Ltd
Bristol England Established 1793
Produce of Ireland
Contents 26 Fl Ozs 75 (symbol for degree)

[Joel1802]

Looks very much like one I have which was a 14 year old bottled for the USA in 1960. I contacted Averys and they did some digging but were unable to offer any detailed info. It could be from a number of distilleries and since they advertised JJ&S when that was the source I suspect it wouldn't be from Bow St. If distilled around 1920 it could be from any number of distilleries and with the exception of Bushmills and Brunsa they're all closed and Brunsa isn't using the equipment that was used then. As long as it was stored well it should be a very fine bottle of booze! You're a lucky man.

[Joel1802]

Oh, and the 75 degrees is 75 degrees proof or around 43% (+/-).

[sarge3535]

I have been in touch with Averys but they really cannot help much, I contact a site that shows having a 40 year old bottle but his appears to be a 7 year old bottle with the 7 crossed out and 40 written in pen on the label (not quite sure how that works) but he declined to say how much he was selling his for, I have sent out enquiries to some whiskey trading sites and see what they say - as the 21 year old bottle is listed at £2000 this may be worth more - selling it is another matter - shame Ebay do not accept alcohol otherwise it would be on there for £5000 ono - steve

[sarge3535]

cannot list it on Ebay but it is now listed on Ebid (as long as you do not drink the contents that is)

[Joel1802]

The 2000 quid is a fantastic price, it is worth substantially less than that. I would expect high end retail to be no more than a 1000. A few similar but much younger Averys bottlings have sold for 400-500 USD in the last year. Wish you luck on the auction, I'll have a look.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Yes, as Joel says these always go for significantly less at auction and you can get versions from anything around €200 - €400. I have not really seen anything above that. It should be remembered Age and rarity never should be taken as a consequence for value. Desirability is the main factor in calculating value and because this whiskey cannot be ascribed to a distillery it will make collectors wary in parting with their cash. Therefore you may find there may not be ques forming to snap this up.

That is not to detract from what could easily be a wonderful bottle rare Irish whiskey.

Certainly one I would love to try myself.

Best of luck selling it though and thanks for sharing.

[TheWhiskeyBro]

Agree with Joel's & IWCs assessment, relying on sites like lions whisky to value bottles will not help you to achieve accurate estimates. I would estimate about €400 as a fair price, with top end specialist shop selling for double that and more.

Interesting bottle and best of luck...