A rare bottle of bourbon \u2014 with deep ties to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Wirtz family and historic distillers \u2014 sold last month for $71,375 through Ravenswood-based auction house Unicorn Auctions. But it wasn\u2019t even the priciest transaction for the rare spirit.<\/p>\n
Two prior auctions of the Very Very Old Fitzgerald 18 Year bourbon fetched $106,500 in October and $100,125 in May 2024, amounts that include taxes and buyers\u2019 premium.<\/p>\n
The 121 proof bottles, distilled in the 1950s by Stitzel-Weller exclusively for the Wirtz family, resurfaced recently after decades of dormancy, touching few hands since their procurement. It represents an early example of craft production truly made for friends and family.<\/p>\n
Only a handful of the so-called Blackhawk bourbons are believed to be in circulation today.<\/p>\n
The buyer and seller from December\u2019s auction separately declined interviews, citing privacy concerns.<\/p>\n
The trio of Blackhawk bottle auctions cement the spirit\u2019s top-shelf position among alternative assets while highlighting the appeal of sellers and buyers flocking to Unicorn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve grown to well over 100,000 customers now, almost entirely organically,\u201d Phil Mikhaylov, co-founder of Unicorn Auctions, said. \u201cIt\u2019s largely driven by word of mouth and referrals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since launching in 2020, with co-founder Cody Modeer, the auction house has eclipsed $200 million in sales and sold more than 500,000 bottles.<\/p>\n
And despite more people shifting away from alcohol since the pandemic, Unicorn\u2019s business is booming.<\/p>\n
Against the grain<\/p>\n
The company sells between 4,000 and 6,000 bottles per week, primarily through its online app, and generates more than $1 million in weekly revenue, according to Mikhaylov.<\/p>\n
A third of the purchases are picked up locally, a third are delivered to customers across the country and the remaining third of its inventory is held at its 70,000-square-foot temperature and humidity-controlled vault in Chicago, home to more than $100 million worth of product.<\/p>\n
Unicorn operates on consignment so it\u2019s neither an owner, distributor or retailer \u2014 a differentiation that allows it to legally sell and ship alcohol in the U.S. through its digital marketplace. The company is likely the largest of its kind in the country.<\/p>\n
Unicorn employs about 80 people at its 25,000-square-foot headquarters, from software engineers, app developers, data analysts to logistics specialists, who map out everything from last-mile deliveries to optimal routes for stocking inventory within its enormous vault.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe built all our own stuff,\u201d Mikhaylov said.<\/p>\n
At the company\u2019s warehouse, he pointed to a heat map display disclosing bids in real time for a wine auction that was set to close in four hours, as well as an ongoing spirits auction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love looking at this,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is freaking epic. We\u2019re able to see live where bids are coming from, what they\u2019re bidding on. This is something that the industry doesn\u2019t have. Brands have no visibility into who the end consumer is or where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auctions start on Sunday and last one week. Unicorn handles the intake, bar coding, professional photography and product descriptions, which are crafted by spirit experts. Sellers are paid a week after the auction closes, with Unicorn taking a 5% commission per sale. A $5 processing fee per bottle listing is also charged.<\/p>\n
Taster\u2019s choice<\/p>\n
A tasting experience this month at a Blackhawks game drew a $222,250 winning bid, during an October auction as part of the team\u2019s centennial celebration.<\/p>\n
It includes a tasting of the 18-year Blackhawk bourbon, pre-Prohibition bottle pours and other special Van Winkle varieties at a speakeasy inside the United Center, hosted by Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery President Julian Van Winkle III and Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from the sale were part of a larger Unicorn lot auction that included signed Blackhawks player jerseys and other sports memorabilia, which raised more than $425,000 for the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bottle is more than a rare whiskey,\u201d Wirtz said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s a piece of our family and team\u2019s shared history, both in the world of hockey and spirits industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Wirtz family is best known as the ownership group of the Blackhawks since 1954, their widespread business portfolio in the liquor industry built the family\u2019s wealth.<\/p>\n
Chicago-based Wirtz Beverage Group, established in 1945 by patriarch Arthur Wirtz,\u00a0merged with the Charmer Sunbelt Group\u00a0in 2016 to form Breakthru Beverage Group, one of the world\u2019s largest wholesale alcohol distributors with over $8.5 billion in annual sales, according to its website.<\/p>\n
At the time of the Blackhawk bottling, Van Winkle was 20 years old. He fondly remembers a sales trip to Chicago around that time with his dad, Pappy, and meeting Bill Wirtz, then chairman of Wirtz Beverage Group. The younger Van Winkle also attended his first NHL game that trip at old Chicago Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be exciting for me to taste some 1969 history from that bottle,\u201d Van Winkle said in an emailed statement. \u201cI believe this bottle to be one of the most special bottles of Kentucky bourbon on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finding the right mix<\/p>\n
The auction house has closed some eye-popping transactions over the years, including:<\/p>\n
Bourbon accounts for about 65% of sales, with its auctions generating about 100,000 bids per week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBourbon is having a moment right now,\u201d Mikhaylov said.<\/p>\n
Brian Rosen, managing partner of InvestBev Capital, said the category\u2019s value is in the aging process, rarity and specialization. The vast majority of InvestBev Capital\u2019s $500 million in assets under management are tied to barreled whiskey distillates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe market and these trades are good for bourbon,\u201d Rosen said. \u201cBourbon is a rare asset that increases in value as time passes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unicorn\u2019s fastest-growing category is tequila, specifically nonadditive versions and those made by small-batch producers. Vintage spirits are also making a comeback, Mikhaylov said.<\/p>\n