Expert: Paul Wagner - 10/7/2008

Question
I have a tin with two square tumblers,and a full bottle.The bottomside of the tin reads:Barringer Wallis and Manners, Mansfield England. The bottle and glasses rest inside a green celluloid or plastic cradle style liner.There is a red paper seal that reads "distilled spirits".There is a letter inside the cover door of the tin from Jack Daniels dated 1906-a copy i'm sure.I cannot find anything like this anywhere on the net What do I have.would like to know age/value-Thanks, Anthony

Answer
HI Anthony

I may not be able to give you a final answer on this---I would also suggest that you contact Jack Daniels directly to get a more accurate date on this bottle. you  can do that here:

http://www.jackdaniels.com/contact.aspx

But distilled spirits like this have such high alcohol levels that they don't change much over time.  That means that your bottle should be just fine to drink, but it also means that it hasn't improved with age the way some fine wines do.  The result is that you won't be able to sell this for much more than a current bottling. Given that it seems to be a regular release of the wwhiskey, I don't think it would sell for more than about $75, at most---and only if you can really show that it hasn't been damaged or diluted in any way.  

It is illegal for private individuals to sell alcoholic beverages in the USA, so you have to work through an auction house or wine shop. They will, in turn, ask for a commission.

You might check with the folks at antiquebottles.com--they know more about the actual bottles and boxes than I do, and one this old might be worth more than the liquid inside.  

Sorry I can't give you more exciting news.

Paul Wagner