On December 10, tornadoes ripped through multiple states, destroying homes, killing at least 88 people and displacing families. Kentucky — especially western Kentucky —was particularly impacted by the tornadoes. In an effort to aid in recovery and reconstruction, the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit — sponsored by Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the Bourbon Crusaders and notable whiskey writer Fred Minnick — is auctioning off rare bottle of bourbons to raise money for the state.

The auction, which started on December 16 and runs until 10 p.m. EST on December 21, is a compilation of over 400 bottles of whiskey, memorabilia and one-of-a kind experiences, donated by distillers, private collectors and other good samaritans.

As of this story’s publishing, the Kentucky Bourbon Benefit has raised $1.5 million, all of which will go to the state’s Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. The benefit notes that this auction came together in three days, when something of this scale usually takes up to six months to put together.

Some notable lots in the auction include a 16-year-old Willet bourbon from 2018’s Bourbon Bonanza Benefit, a bottle of Charbay’s Bourbon Crusaders and a private barrel selection of Maker’s Mark 46 selected and signed by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear. The top 15 items of the auction, which includes a 1971 bottle of Old Forester Single Barrel selected by Brown-Forman President Garvin Brown and a Knob Creek Single Barrel Rye Selection Experience, will be sold during a live-streamed auction on December 21 at 7 p.m. EST.

To learn more about placing a bid on an auction or how to make a donation to aid in relief efforts, head to Kentucky Bourbon Benefit’s website.

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