This collection over 3,200 Johnnie Walkers heads to auction
Frans Op den Kamp's trove of more than 3,200 Johnnie Walker bottles and memorabilia—this collection over 3200 pieces—is set to become the largest Johnnie Walker assemblage ever offered at public auction. Whisky Auctioneer will open bidding on September 11 under the title "The Johnnie Walker Collection: One Hundred Years of Striding."
Key Takeaways
- More than 3,200 Johnnie Walker bottles and memorabilia form the largest such collection yet headed to auction.
- Collector Frans Op den Kamp began buying around 1999 in London and later moved the trove to California.
- Bidding opens September 11 on Whisky Auctioneer as "The Johnnie Walker Collection: One Hundred Years of Striding."
- Highlights span early 20th-century labels through rare modern blends, including a one-of-25 McLaren Signature Blend.
For readers who follow rare assets alongside luxury real estate and dream homes, the sale underlines how passion collecting can become a landmark market event.
Who built this collection over 3200 bottles?
Op den Kamp started collecting Johnnie Walker around 1999 while living in London. His first buy was a Blue Label bottle for about $130—roughly $200 today.
Working in the jewelry trade, he hunted bottles on business trips through duty-free shops and high-end liquor stores worldwide. Over time he became a deep Johnnie Walker specialist and aimed for at least two of every release: one to keep and one to open.
The cellar began in London and later traveled with him to California. Space—and a sense that he had met his collecting goals—helped push the decision to sell after roughly a quarter century with the Striding Man.
What makes the auction historically significant?
According to Robb Report, this is the largest Johnnie Walker collection to date at auction. Whisky Auctioneer's Joe Wilson, head curator and spirits specialist, called the breadth a testament to decades of dedication and a rare entry point for collectors at every level.
Global whiskey sales have cooled, yet the auction market remains active. Op den Kamp is betting that demand for complete, storied lots still holds.
What bottles and memorabilia are included?
Holdings include early 20th-century Old Highland Whisky bottles with red, black, and white labels. There are also single malts from Cardhu, Talisker, and Mortlach that reference John Walker on the label.
One standout is the Johnnie Walker Jenson Button Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Signature Blend, from a set of just 25. Op den Kamp highlights his Black Label run—especially 1930s examples—as a living record of how the blend changed across decades from the 1920s through the 2020s.
"I've had probably every decade from the 1920s to the 2020s," he told Robb Report, noting that opening an old bottle captures a moment in time because whisky does not age once bottled.
Parting with the collection is emotional. "A small part of me goes with the collection as well," he said—even as the September 11 Whisky Auctioneer sale may deliver a major payday for two decades of hunting.