Bidding advice
You can place bids either under the lot image on the main auction page or on the right side of the individual lot page.
Placing a Maximum Bid
Use the "Set your bid limit" button on the left side of the bidding panel to enter the highest amount you're willing to bid on a lot. Our system will then automatically raise your bid in set increments if you’re outbid, up to your maximum. If someone bids above your set limit, we’ll notify you by email so you can choose whether to increase your bid.
Placing a Single Bid
Alternatively, place a single bid by selecting the button on the right side of the bidding panel. The button displays the amount needed for the next increment. For example, if the current highest bid is £50.00, the button will show "+ £55.00" (reflecting a £5.00 increment).
Incremental Bidding Explained
Our system increases bids based on preset increments, as shown in the table below, whether you set a maximum bid or make a single bid.
Bottle Details
I.W. Harper 12 Year Old Decanter Bottle Kentucky Straight Bourbon 1980s
The I.W. prefix in this brand name derives from Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, who founded the brand. With his brother he helped establish Louisville in Kentucky as a centre for Bourbon production. Sadly, he felt Harper was a more marketable name than his own to apply to the bottles.
For the majority of the 20th century, the brand was produced by Schenley at the Bernheim distillery, which they purchased following the repeal of Prohibition in the 1930s. Schenley were eventually bought out by United Distillers (now Diageo) in 1987.
United Distillers discontinued the I.W. Harper brand in the US shortly after, but retained it for the export market. This is one of those bottles. The bourbon was distilled at the brand's historic home at Bernheim, which Diago owned until 1999.
Bernheim is a historic Kentucky distillery. It was established by the Bernheim Brothers in the late 19th century, before passing into the hands of the Schenley company following the repeal of Prohibition. When Schenley were bought over by United Distillers in 1987, the distillery was rebuilt as the new owners looked to consolidate their production to a single facility. When United Distillers became Diageo in 1997, the new parent company (at the time) were interested in bourbon, and sold the distillery to Heaven Hill.
Diageo, revived the US edition of the I.W. Harper brand in 2015.
Auction results
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Frequently asked questions
You will always be shown as an anonymous bidder when using Whisky Auctioneer.
When browsing the bidding history on a specific lot, the list of recent bidders is shown as 'anonymised bidders' with the exception of any bids placed through your account - which would appear as your username.
When logged into your account your bids are shown with your username, however, other users are not able to see this and you will appear as an 'anonymised bidder'.
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