Rare $50,000 Bottle of Whiskey Gets Police Escort to Bar

A rare bottle of Irish whiskey recently got VIB (Very Important Bottle) treatment this week, as the whiskey, which is valued at $50,000, received a police escort to a local Irish pub in Ohio.

Gormley's Pub in Rocky River, Ohio was selected for an upcoming fundraiser that will offer sample tastings of the 47-year-old Midleton Very Rare whiskey to 20 lucky guests.

"The Festival of Midleton Whiskeys is a two-day celebration of Irish whiskey which aims to raise vital funds for Malachi House in Cleveland, an organization that seeks to preserve human dignity for terminally ill individuals through the provision of food, shelter, clothing and comfort," the Festival of Midleton Whiskey said on its website.

In a recent Facebook post, Gormley's Pub shared a video of the police escort they received to transport the bottle to the Irish pub.

While speaking with Newsweek on Thursday, Gormley's Pub owner, Sean Gormley explained that officers with the Rocky River Police Department were very open to the escort and said that he thought it may bring some more attention to the upcoming event.

"I thought it would be nice and just bring a little bit more attention," Gormley told Newsweek. "The police department in Rocky River is very, very supportive and they said they would love to help."

Gormley also said that numerous residents expressed their support for the fundraiser and also said that they were happy the police department provided the escort.

Gormley said he was happy to host the event to benefit the Malachi House. "That made it even more special for me, to try and do something special but at the same time, get people to get a chance, once in a lifetime, to taste something they're never going to see again," he said.

Gormley shared a photo of the bottle on Facebook, saying that the bottle was made of Irish Waterford crystal and came in a special wooden case.

George Lichman, the Rocky River chief of police, confirmed to Newsweek that the department helped escort the bottle to the pub just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Barry Chandler, an Irish whiskey expert who helped set up the tasting event through his organization, Stories & Sips, also spoke to Newsweek and explained the rarity of the whiskey saying that it is one of only 97 bottles released in the world.

"It's a 47-year-old, single-pot still Irish whiskey," Chandler told Newsweek. "It comes from what's called a silent distillery, so a distillery that's no longer in operation, will never produce whiskey again and this is some of the last whiskey to ever leave that distillery when it closed in 1975. This is number three in a series of six whiskeys that are being released up until the year 2025, culminating in the 50-year-old release."

Chandler also described the rare whiskey as a "time capsule," saying that "it's a snapshot in time."

The fundraiser is set to be held on December 5th and December 6th.

On December 5, at at the Clifton Club in Lakewood, Ohio, Midelton Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman will conduct a tasting event of multiple premium Irish whiskeys. Tickets for that night are $159 per person and will include an Irish buffet and live music. Tickets are available here.

The tasting of the rare whiskey will take place at a black-tie event at the Clifton Club in Lakewood, Ohio on December 6. Twenty guests will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for $3,500 per person to sample the whiskey with O'Gorman, along with several other whiskeys and a plated gourmet dinner. For tickets and information, call Gormley at 440-554-3530.