Value of "vintage" scotch?

W

wuzzagrunt

Joined Oct 2004
5K Posts | 0+
On the fen.
A co-worker has come into a couple of cases of Johnie Walker Black Label that is dated 1933. Apparently, the family of his elderly neighbor was cleaning out the family home, after moving Dad to an assisted living facility, and left the hootch out for the trashmen.

Do old bottles of whiskey have any value to collectors? Are there actually people who collect such things? I'm not a big fan of blended scotch whiskies so I didn't even offer to try a bottle to determine if it's still fit to drink. IMHO, it wasn't fit to drink the day it was bottled.

The smell of the stuff brings to mind a bottle of Lysol phenolic disinfectant; not a completely disagreeable aroma but not one that puts me in the mood to drink the contents, either. YMMV.
 
Wait for Hollow Point. When it comes to discussions like this, he is second only to God Himself. Whatever he tells you, . . .

is The Truth.
 
I am sure that there is someone, somewhere who thinks that stuff is worth something. I am with you, I wouldn't drink it if someone paid me. It hasn't "improved with age" since it has been in the bottle not in the barrel.
 
I haven't actually seen one with my eyes but I gather they do. My co-worker is a good guy but he has a tendency to jabber, requiring one to continually refocus his attention enough to answer specific questions. He described a "seal" with a dated tag of some kind.

I don't know a heckuva a lot (nothing at all, really) about the packaging of adult beverages from the period in question. If you guide me towards some specific Qs to ask, I try to get the answers. I'll also try to get him to bring a bottle to work so I can capture a pic with the digicam.
 
The funny thing is I know a guy who prefers to drink what he refers to as Pre-War Walker Black. I only know about the iron wiring sealing the cap through his description.

Assuming your friend's find was stored properly (that's gonna be tough to prove LOL) - all these years, I'm sure the guy I know would be somewhat interested in a few if not all of the bottles. The problem is he is used to getting the bottles for what a collector would likely think is cheap.

The scenario of how he obtains Pre-War JWB is very similar to your friend's. An older relative passes away and has bottles stashed in the closet. The family has no use for them and doesn't even recognize it as Johnnie Walker... They bundle it up and the whole lot goes to bargain basement The guy I know, picks it up for slightly over the line that the selling merchant paid (usually next to nothing).
 
Has anyone done a Google search or an eBay search? Sometimes you'd be surprised at something you think is unique and you find out that someone else is in Day 4 of their auction on eBay.
 
Login or Register • Reply

Similar Discussions

B
Quoting Reagan, "I've Had It Up To My . . .
Replies
16
Views
4K
Smokeasy
SLEEPER
V
Value on older whisky
Replies
3
Views
1K
Smokeasy
Bloofington
B
Vintage 17 Year Old Bourbon. . . .
Replies
4
Views
2K
Smokeasy
Bloofington
B
The Classic Cask 17 Year Old Bourbon, and New Top 25. . . .
Replies
0
Views
3K
Smokeasy
Bloofington
Top
Back