#307 • Grouping of 5 vintage whiskey bottles marked Straus Gunst & Co, Richmond

Part of Connoisseur auction #2 (timed auction by Beck Estates)

High bid $35.00

Status: Sold

Category: Bottles

Grouping of 5 vintage whiskey bottles (one with old Whiskey label) marked Straus Gunst & Co. Sole Proprietors, Richmond, VA; 6"H. Straus Gunst was established as a whiskey distillery in 1879 by Henry Gunst. "Old Henry" was one of the brand's of whiskey made by the firm. As the business grew and flourished, Henry Gunst became a rich man, recognized in Richmond for his business acumen and wealth. He and wife Bettie lived in a mansion and he was chauffeured around town in a fashionable buggy. According to an account by his great granddaughter, Henry is said always to have traveled with a gun at his side. The reason he gave was the need to collect bills from saloons in rough parts of Richmond and the surrounding countryside. He died in 1907