Could This Be Worth Anything?

[SMOWK]

A friend of mine dug this out of his mother in laws attic. There were 2 of them. Distilled in 1916, bottled in 1922. They aren't big bourbon drinkers, and are willing to sell them.

Are they worth anything? Are they worth buying?

SMOWK

[Josh]

A friend of mine dug this out of his mother in laws attic. There were 2 of them. Distilled in 1916, bottled in 1922. They aren't big bourbon drinkers, and are willing to sell them.

Are they worth anything? Are they worth buying?

SMOWK

Nope, completely worthless.

[Lost Pollito]

Nope, completely worthless.

Yep. I agree. The bourbon is to old to be any good at this point.

[unclebunk]

A friend of mine dug this out of his mother in laws attic. There were 2 of them. Distilled in 1916, bottled in 1922. They aren't big bourbon drinkers, and are willing to sell them. Are they worth anything? Are they worth buying?

SMOWK

I haven't the foggiest idea what they might be worth but if you can get them at a decent price, I'd buy them. Their age alone makes them interesting, and if you can get them to part with both bottles you can drink one and put the other on the shelf to display. If you do buy them and open one, let us know what it tastes like.

[nor02lei]

Nope, completely worthless.

?? Why is that Josh? The bottle did seem in good condition and would be of interest both to collectors and drinkers. Of cause it may not taste good, but on the other hand it may do so and in any case it would be interesting to taste a bottling as old as this one.

Leif

[cowdery]

The regular participants on this site have been burned many times by people who swoop in trying to sell something. That's why an inquiry like this usually gets a lot of smart aleck responses. The "this is worthless" type gags usually end with "send it to me for proper disposal."

SMOWK is new, but he has made some regular posts (a lot of people ask "what's it worth" on their first post, which sets everybody off). Let's give him a break.

That's a potentially interesting bottle. As a Prohibition-era bottling it comes under the heading of medicinal whiskey. It appears to be a half-pint, which is rare. Most medicinal whiskey was in pints, although that may be related to the fact that it's pretty early (1922).

Echo Springs is a brand that still exists. Heaven Hill makes it. A search of this web site will turn up a couple of other mentions.

Your bottles have some value, though part of the problem is that it's illegal to sell whiskey without a license. People do it all the time, mostly on eBay, but it's still illegal. We're not talking about a lot of money, but maybe $50. Maybe more, maybe not.

I'm in a generous mood today so I'm giving a straight answer. Please forgive the people who are goofing on you. They have good reason.

[Special Reserve]

I have some older (tax stamp days) Echo Spring I found hunting one day and since the store owner was surprised that he could actually get a few bucks for they he gladly let me take them home.

It's not an upper shelf bourbon, but is sure does make a good bourbon and coke or bourbon and ginger.

Medicinal bourbon from the prohibition era could have some historical interest.

[darkluna]

Very nicely stated, your input is always valued

[smokinjoe]

Thank you for sharing a picture of your bottle. It certainly looks interesting. I can appreciate your desire to find the potential value of it. But, I believe the most value would come from donating it to the Getz Whiskey Museum in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Getz is a wonderful resource of American whiskey history, and I believe that they would be most appreciative to receive such a nice donation. You can reach them at 502/348-2999. In this way, you'll find the bottle a good home, be personally enriched by doing a good thing, and also provide an opportunity for American whiskey enthusiasts, like those on this board, to enjoy viewing it in the future.

Cheers!

[p_elliott]

I maybe reading his post different from the rest of you. I think what he is asking is it worth it to him to buy this bourbon off of his friend. To which I would say yes this would be a nice collectors piece or a nice experience trying a prohibition style bourbon.

[unclebunk]

I maybe reading his post different from the rest of you. I think what he is asking is it worth it to him to buy this bourbon off of his friend. To which I would say yes this would be a nice collectors piece or a nice experience trying a prohibition style bourbon.

I took the same meaning. He has an opportunity to buy them and should get both, if possible, if the price is decent. If it were me, I'd crack one open to drink and put the other on a shelf to be displayed. Or, as Joe suggested, he could donate one to the Getz Whiskey Museum.

[SMOWK]

The regular participants on this site have been burned many times by people who swoop in trying to sell something. That's why an inquiry like this usually gets a lot of smart aleck responses. The "this is worthless" type gags usually end with "send it to me for proper disposal."

I'm definitely not trying to sell it. I'm trying to find a good price to pay for it. In time, there will be a review.

[loose proton]

value is only what two people, the seller and buyer, agree upon. I sometimes pay a lot for the first bottle of anything to taste it. The second bottle would be bonus.

[Special Reserve]

I'm definitely not trying to sell it. I'm trying to find a good price to pay for it. In time, there will be a review.

I say give him $20 plus a couple of beers at a brewpub. No more.

Will

PS. I did misunderstand the original posting.

[jburlowski]

I say give him $20 plus a couple of beers at a brewpub. No more.

Will

PS. I did misunderstand the original posting.

Will's right... we don't want to encourage this sort of behavior.