Q&A: Wine & Food Questions
Old Medford Brand Rum
I have an unopened, seal unbroken bottle of Old Medford Rum. There is no date on the bottle. There is notation on the label that it was bottled by M.S. Walker, Inc. Boston. I have had it in my posession for over 40 years, but know that it is much older. Could this be valuable or worth anything to a collector.
Answer From Expert Roger C. Bohmrich, MW
Yours is a very familiar question in the sense that many people seem to have a solo bottle of a wine or spirit and would like to know its value. My response is more or less the same; namely, unless you happen to have a true classic, there is very little monetary value. There is an interesting history of New England rum including a "Medford Old Rum" (which goes back to the early 1700s) made by Daniel Lawrence & Sons, who apparently sold their label to M.S. Walker. Selling a single bottle can be done online - for example, WineBid.com - but I do not know if this bottle meets their criteria. In this case, the product is unlikely to find a buyer with, it seems to me, a few possible exceptions: someone named "Medford," a collector of American spirits, or, perhaps, the company who bottled the Rum and might like to have it as a display item for their offices. That company still exists and you can find their contact details on their website (mswalker.com).
About The Expert
Roger has enjoyed a lengthy career in the wine trade as an importer and retailer, and at present he is an educator, speaker and consultant. He set up and managed Millesima USA, a New York merchant affiliated with Europe's leader in direct sales of fine wines to consumers. Previously, he served as senior executive of Frederick Wildman & Sons, traveling regularly around the world to visit wineries and taste the new vintage from barrel. Roger became one of America's first Masters of Wine in 1993.
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