‘It is priceless:’ Bowling Green man selling vintage bourbon bottle for $1M

Kentucky is known for three things: horses, basketball and bourbon; but have you ever seen a bottle of bourbon worth $1 million dollars?
Published: Sep. 1, 2023 at 7:35 PM EDT
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Kentucky is known for many things like horses, basketball, and bourbon, but have you ever seen a bottle of bourbon worth $1 million?

Michael Vincent, the owner of Frigg N’ Digg N’ Antiques in Bowling Green, posted a vintage bottle of bourbon on eBay. The bottle of bourbon was manufactured by J.T. Doores & Company. It is a 1901 pint-sized, flask bottle with a bit of its original contents inside of the bottle all of these years later.

Vincent said the bottle itself is a one-of-a-kind.

“These are more rare because they are glass,” Vincent said. “He (Doores) usually made stone jugs, so the glass bottles themselves are rare to find because they used to break a lot easier.”

Doores was a renowned bootlegger during the Prohibition Era. He was born in Logan County and resided in Bowling Green throughout his life before passing away in 1922 at the age of 52.

Vincent said finding artifacts like Doores’ bottles of bourbon is a part of his mission with his local antique shop: to tell the story of Bowling Green.

“I wanted to let Bowling Green know the items that we do have, or that can be found locally, tell the whole story of Bowling Green itself. At least parts of it and its past,” Vincent said.

So why did Vincent list the bottle at $1 million?

While it is listed at $1 million in value, according to Vincent, an auction for the bottle will be taking place throughout the first week of September. Vincent said that a portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Vincent said doing this was the least he could do to give back to his community.

“I just want to give back to the youth and people who are less fortunate than we are. I have been one of those less fortunate people. Having been blessed, I just want to bless the community back,” Vincent said.

Those interested in placing a bid on the million-dollar bottle will have the opportunity to do so beginning Friday, Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m.

The auction will run until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8.

You can place your bids here.