Expert: Paul Wagner - 12/4/2007

Question
Hello - my bother-in-law is an antique enthusiast as well as a whiskey connoisseur.  I have been able to purchase a gift for him; I.W. Harper – bottle made in 1963 and the whiskey bottled in 1968.  I would love to be able to give him any history or information about the product along with the gift.  Can you help me with any information, history, value, etc?

Thank you, Cj


Answer
HI Cj

IW Harper is a classic old brand, but over the years the company has been bought a sold a couple of times. Now it is only sold in Asia, even though I still get quite a few questions about how to find it in the US. It's now part of the Diageo portfolio.

Because distilled spirits have a very high alcohol content,they don't change much, for better or for worse, once they are bottled.  The good news is that your bottle should be quite good to drink--just as good as the day it was bottled.  The bad news is that it isn't worth much more than a current bottling of similar whiskey.  I'd estimate this one at about $35-50, max.

Sorry I don't have more exciting news for you.

Paul Wagner