ANOTHER RECORD FOR JAPANESE WHISKY AT SOTHEBY’S

The Collection of Patron, Collector & Friend to Artists, Pauline Karpidas

HONG KONG, 29 OCTOBER 2026 – Records continue to fall for Japanese whisky at Sotheby’s. Just last month, an ultra-rare prototype from Karuizawa’s oldest cask, the 1960 vintage Cask #5627, sparked applause in the New York saleroom when it sold for US$625,000, becoming the most valuable bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold at Sotheby’s.

Yesterday at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, that benchmark was surpassed as The Yamazaki 50 Year Old 2005 First Release 54.0 abv achieved US$765,000 / HK$6 million at Sotheby’s Finest & Rarest Spirits: Premium Japanese Whisky Collection. The landmark auction also brought together all three editions of the Yamazaki 50 Year Old in a single sale for the first time, celebrating the extraordinary rarity and collectability of Japanese

* Estimates do not include buyer’s premium or overhead premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and overhead premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

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