Expert: Paul Wagner - 5/18/2009

Question
My father found a bottle of the King George IV.  The bottle dates back to 1943 and the seal has not been broken.  What can you tell us about this?

Regards,
Judy

Answer
HI Judy

This is a fun bottle for historical interest...but that doesn't mean that it will be of interest to connoisseurs.  George VI was king before Elizabeth II, and took the throne when his brother fell in love with Wallace Simpson--an American divorcee.  It's a great romantic story, and made George king during WWII.

But this is whisky, and products that are this high in alcohol don't really change much in the bottle over time--the alcohol pretty much prevents that.  So the good news is that this is still perfectly good to drink.  The bad news is that it hasn't appreciated in value the way some fine wines do.  I would guess that it is worth about $50 or so--but it would be hard to sell through a legal channel.  You are better off just drinking it.  

You might find that the bottle collectors at antiquebottles.com are more interested in the bottle than the liquid inside--they are the bottle experts, and are very helpful.  Give them a try.

Sorry that I can't give you more exciting news.

Paul Wagner