The Oldner’s Superior Old Rye is such a rare and unusual bottle that most collectors do not even know it exists. That would include myself if I hadn’t held one in my hand and witnessed the remarkable color and crudity of this two-quart handled whiskey. First off, it’s a very odd shape and design. You just don’t see handled glass jugs in a two-quart size very often. Then you have the color, a purplish puce. Very unusual for any bottle. Most amazing however is the embossing; Oldner’s Superor Old Rye Is The Miner’s Protector with two men, one holding a pick and drinking whiskey (presumably) and the other digging with a shovel. On top of that you have the two figures surrounded by an amazing array of fancy design. The base, although not pontiled, is a series of concentric circles, another unusual feature on a bottle already in a world of its own. This bottle is pictured in the outstanding book written by John M. Eatwell and David K. Clint III called Pike’s Peak Gold. As you can see by the number on the neck, it was originally sold in the Charles Gardner collection. Where was a bottle in an off the wall purple with an embossing pattern that resembles an oil painting done during the Gold Rush made? Well that’s a good question and one we can’t answer. It’s known that a few other pieces have turned up, mostly in the west. We’re unsure of where this particular example was found but there’s speculation it was unearthed near Denver, purely conjecture. Regardless, it is possible that since the embossing is clearly directed towards miners, it would lead one to think that considering the California Gold Rush, the Colorado Gold and Silver Rush, the same for Nevada, that it was made for the west. That doesn’t tell us where it was made but possibly rather where it was distributed. We also know that Oldner was responsible for an aromatic schnapps and possibly another whiskey product. So what about age? With no pontil we’d have to believe it was made in the late 1860’s, early 70’s. Right in there with some of the great mining days in the west, west of the Rockies. So here it is, rarity, color, crudity and condition, all four attributes that make a bottle special, very special indeed. For it’s uncommon stature and breathtaking appeal, we make this Oldner’s Superior Old Rye the bottle of the month.