‘Trying to build a community’: Three bourbon lovers bring auction house/bar Aged in Oak to Vernon Hills

Three guys in Vernon Hills have combined their love of drinking bourbon and hunting for hard-to-find bottles to make a hub for people just like them.

It’s a place they would have frequented if it had already existed. But since it didn’t, they built it themselves.

Aged in Oak in Vernon Hills is a unique concept that marries an auction house with a bar. Partners James Hall, Justin Pantle and his father, Doug Pantle, co-founded the business, which opened recently at 935 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 111, in Vernon Hills.

“This is something we are truly passionate about,” Hall said. “We’re not just three guys trying to make a buck off the secondary market. We are really, truly trying to build a community.”

The concept has multiple facets. With the auction house, bourbon lovers can buy and sell hard-to-find bottles in a secure online (and eventually in person) sale.

They recently held their first weeklong online sale, offering just over 100 bottles that ranged in value from under $50 to over $1,000.

“Our auction is a chance for people to find that proverbial bottle on the top shelf that they can never find,” Hall said. “And it was born out of our pursuit for rare bottles.”

The current auction, which ends Sunday, Sept. 28, features 103 bottles including a pair of rare Willett Single Barrel 12 Year bottles, a Belle Meade Honey Bourbon expected to fetch more than $1,000, and familiar collectible names such as Van Winkle Special Reserve and Stagg, as well as more esoteric offerings.

The auction portion of the business stemmed from their collective experiences that found an existing marketplace that sometimes lacked transparency and trust, and always lacked the human connection.

“Obviously the auction concept has been done in the past by other companies. The difference is that we actually have a place where you can sit down, have a drink, watch a Bears game, get to know the owners and talk bourbon,” Justin Pantle said. “It’s not just an in-and-out transaction.”

The way it works is bidders create an online account and attach a credit-card number. Once the auction opens, bidders can check out the lineup and bid, similar to eBay. Bidders can make a flat bid or set a max bid that will automatically go up when other buyers outbid their bid.

Buyers add a 15% premium plus applicable sales tax to the hammer price of each bottle. Bottles can be shipped for an extra charge, but pickup is preferred for local clients. Sellers pay a 5% fee plus $5 per bottle and can set a minimum reserve price for their bottle.

Anyone interested in gauging the value of a rare bottle can upload photos and information to the online appraisal portal to get an idea of what they could receive at auction.

“The bottles people have been inquiring about, the history is breathtaking,” Hall said.

But because they’re not just collectors, they wanted a place for like-minded people to hang out and have a drink. Their large tasting parlor has many bottles that are difficult to find in a local bar. And you can also personally pull a pour out of a barrel to fashion your own old fashioned.

A specialty cocktail list includes creative spins on classics such as the crème brûlée old fashioned, a bourbon cherry-tini and the smoked maple bourbon sour, all created by head bartender Gail Marzigliano. They also have a full bar for non-bourbon drinkers.

All the cocktails use premium bourbons.

“We are a bourbon tasting room. We want bourbon enthusiasts to enjoy a fine spirit in their cocktail,” Hall said.

Multiple TVs line the deep green walls so you don’t have to miss any sports action. A front area features high-top tables, while a back sitting area has overstuffed chairs and couches for lounging. If you’ve ever been on a bourbon distillery tour, Aged in Oak has a familiar look.

“We’ve all been to Kentucky numerous times now, and we were inspired to bring part of that back to Illinois,” Justin said.

The space will allow them to hold private events for groups, tastings and educational programs. They also plan to offer bourbon and food pairings down the road.

“The neat part about all this is we have the bar, the auctions, we have the tastings, we’ve got the thieving experience. We’re developing this community,” Doug Pantle said. “As far as I know, I think we’re the only ones in the country that have this setup.”