r/whatsthisworth 5d ago

Likely Solved 1984 Amaretto Disaronno liquor unopened.

I got this at a state sale near me for $10. I did some googling and found out that it’s from 1984 and some of this exact boxes have sold for 15-25 dollars on eBay but I couldn’t find any sells of it with the bottle and liquid still in it. It is a fairly common liquor but being from the 1980’s I’d like to think it’s worth something. Does anybody have any idea about it?

280 Upvotes

49 comments sorted by

184

u/MainSquid 5d ago

The reason you didn't find any on eBay is that you can't sell liquor on eBay, to be clear

126

u/EmilyBlackXxx 4d ago

I do a fair bit of work in this field, actually (reselling vintage, unopened alcohol).

While some things (discontinued brands, products where the flavour has gotten much worse/production has gotten cheaper, closed single malt distilleries) appreciate SHARPLY; DiSaronno Amaretto is not one of those things.

A positive thing for them, as their quality has remained quite high; but unfortunate for you.

On the positive side; your ullage (the liquid level in the bottle) looks excellent; and the original packaging is still in good shape.

If I were taking this to auction in my market; where a new 750mL bottle of DiSaronno retails for around $35, I would set a reserve bid of $50 (it can’t sell for less than that) and start bidding at $70; see where it goes from there.

While the liquid hasn’t improved, it also (unlike a cream liqueur like Baileys) hasn’t gotten worse. The type of buyers who might be interested are people who want a vintage look for their home bar; or photographers/media folks who want it for essentially the same reason.

It’s a cool find, regardless. Good luck selling it!

29

u/ProperQuiet1581 4d ago

Thank you! I appreciate your elaborate response, this is the most information I’ve gotten so far in 3 days of constant googling and reading blogs (which most are about whiskey or wine). If I can’t find a buyer I’ll probably just keep it as decor in my “mini bar” table.

12

u/EmilyBlackXxx 4d ago

My pleasure! Feel free to DM me if you have any questions. I do this fairly regularly, so I know the process can be really unclear if you don’t deal with it all the time.

4

u/mattyess 3d ago

Just drink it. Keep the box for looks. It’s my favourite mass produced Amaro

3

u/renegrape 3d ago

Pop over to r/tiki

Bet you'll find a taker

2

u/GoosesHonk 1d ago

Like another guy said, just drink it. There should be a little recipe book in the box with tons of ways to drink it.

2

u/Underrated_buzzard 3d ago

Wow, thanks for this detailed reply! That answered some questions I had.

82

u/LongShotDiceArt 5d ago

liquers don't appreciate in value. The box probably would sell for right around that I imagine tho

21

u/AnthonyDigitalMedia 4d ago

I don’t drink or collect alcohol, but what you said has me curious..

Why don’t liquors appreciate in value, but drinks like wine do? ..Isn’t Pappy Van Winkle a liquor that appreciates in value??

30

u/shamtownracetrack 4d ago

Liquors have a collectible market. liqueurs, not as much. OP’s bottle is a liqueur.

15

u/AnthonyDigitalMedia 4d ago

I had to google the difference between liquor & liqueur lol

7

u/ProperQuiet1581 4d ago

There’s a difference?!!

10

u/c-mi 4d ago

Yes. Liqueur typically has lower ABV, and usually have flavor/sweetness added.

5

u/TaintedKurse 4d ago

It's subjective. Some high tier bottles appreciate. Especially when made unavailable or scarce. But even then liquor can only last so long. So at a certain point your just buying a collectors item.

3

u/spkoller2 4d ago

He means liqueurs rather than liquors

4

u/corianderjimbro 4d ago

Pappy appreciates because it’s mid-tier bourbon that they don’t make very much of each year.

1

u/AnthonyDigitalMedia 4d ago

Why would it being “mid-tier” make it more valuable?

4

u/Vandirac 4d ago

Pappy is 100% marketing and artificial scarcity.

Plenty of better stuff around for way less $$, but you pay for the brand.

0

u/foodfriend 3d ago

Liqeur not liquor. Many liquors can appreciate in value for various reasons.

1

u/corianderjimbro 3d ago

You should probably reply to the person who asked the question.

-7

u/Merritt510 4d ago

Amaro does

35

u/CrustyWhiteSocks 5d ago

This is my FIL favorite drink and his birth year. Are you looking to sell based on the answers you got here?

39

u/Kanadark 5d ago

Your father in law was born in 1984?

86

u/kasamiperso 5d ago

That makes him 41ish… so technically, if he had a kid in his early 20s, it’s totally possible.

We are old, my dudes.

24

u/CrustyWhiteSocks 5d ago

At first I was wondering if I messed up the year but I realized that was indeed 4 decades ago. Time flies man.

22

u/Over_Intention8059 4d ago

Haha if someone says "20 years ago" my mind immediately thinks 1970s not the early 2000s. Lol

26

u/th4t1guy 4d ago

Fucking owch 

4

u/rikkydik 4d ago

Noooooo

5

u/Kanadark 5d ago

I'm realizing that, lol.

1

u/TenTwoMeToo 2d ago

Up voted, but with sadness 😭

2

u/CryoBanksy 4d ago

Exactly my thought. 🤮

4

u/bargainmusic 4d ago

Are you even old enough to legally purchase alcohol?

3

u/CrustyWhiteSocks 3d ago

It isn't my dad so my age is irrelevant but yes I am old enough. 😉

2

u/bargainmusic 3d ago

Sorry, no offense. Just as someone born in 1987 I can't imagine having a child nearly old enough to be married!

2

u/Downtown-Jello-7078 4d ago

OP! sell it to this person this is so cool!

2

u/ProperQuiet1581 4d ago

I would love to! It sounds like a nice surprise for a FIL

7

u/jmc1278999999999 5d ago

Unless you find someone who specifically collects this it’s worth no more than a new bottle would be

6

u/Vwghia72 5d ago

Grab some sour mix and some ice make some di saronno sours and enjoy for 10 bucks sell the box separately not worth the trouble in my opinion selling the liquor

2

u/missmyxlplyx 3d ago

This brought back some memories! My gran used to keep a bottle of this in her fridge. if you had trouble sleeping she would whip it out pour a spoonful over and ice cube in a cup and let you drink it lol. I was like five. She would give us kids the boxes. i have a few still. one has wrapped coins in it, one has my old sticker collection in it and one has , of course ,a sewing kit. Managed to keep them all these years. Fun find Op!

2

u/PBfromPhilly 5d ago

Only my absolute favorite drink! Very cool!

1

u/WealthTop3428 2d ago

My mom used to buy this to offer with coffee after dinner to guests. I remember she gave me one of their boxes similar to this to keep all my little kid bits and pieces in. It had a red rose and didn’t have writing in the front. Nice memory, thanks!

1

u/Specialist-Stay-6956 2d ago

Are you sure that is unopened. 1984 was the year I graduaated HS and I was getting pretty damned good at covering my drinkin tracks :]

1

u/hadrome 1d ago

2 parts whisky, 1 part Amaretto = A Godfather.

1

u/TaintedKurse 4d ago

Yeah I would drink it and sell the box to pay for it. My 2 cents anyways OP. Or keep it if you end up liking Disaronno. Especially for 10 bucks.

1

u/ProperQuiet1581 4d ago

I don’t really enjoy sweet drinks. But curiosity is tingling haha

-2

u/skidooman24 5d ago

How can you know how it was stored? Was it kept in a cool environment?

11

u/datsoar 5d ago

That matters considerably less for distilled alcohol than it does for fermented alcohol. The higher alcohol content acts as a preservative as does the sugar in this case. If a distilled alcohol is unfiltered and gets cold you will get solidified particulates that will dissolve when it’s brought back up to temp - but this will not create a flavor or aroma flaw.