Bonhams' October 13 New York auction of Whisky, Cognac and Rare Spirits will feature a rare bottle of Aberlour-Glenlivet scotch given to Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings by John F Kennedy, his old prep-school roommate.
The whisky, bottled by WH Holt & Sons, features an engraved silver cap that reads "Happy Birthday from Jack". The men were lifelong friends, with Billings even having his own room in the White House. The bottle is valued at $2,500-3,000.
 The bottle was presented by JFK to a friend |
The auction features additional items with presidential connections, including two bottles of Maker's Mark selected for President Reagan by the George Washington University doctors who saved his life following the failed 1981 assassination attempt. They carry an estimate of $1,500-2,000 each.
A bottle of rum with a presidential seal is also up for sale. It was presented to Reagan following a visit to Jamaica in 1982 and has been valued at $600-800.
We have this programme, autographed by Ronald Reagan, at just £950 (approx. $1,511).
Rare Cognacs are well represented, in particular by an 1802 Lheraud - one of only a handful of bottles worldwide. It brings an estimate of $14,000-18,000.
Whiskies can realise impressive sums at auction. The current record is held by a bottle of Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve - distilled in 1955 and produced in 2011 to mark the 110th birthday of company founder William Grant's granddaughter. It sold for $94,000 in 2012.
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