JAPANESE WHISKY A SELLOUT AT BONHAMS

HONG KONG AUCTION

A bottle of Yamazaki-50 year old fetches HK$257,250

Bonhams Hong Kong continues to take the lead in the sale of rare single malt whiskies in the city with a successful auction of Japanese and Rare Whisky on 15 August.  The 200 lots of Japanese whisky on offer were snapped up with great gusto, resulting in a sellout with every single lot sold. The whisky sale, which also included 64 lots of Scottish single malts, totaled HK$6,564,898, with an overall 97% of the lots sold.

Spirited bidding among the whisky aficionados in the packed saleroom and online drove the prices of their favourite malts above their presale estimates, proving that the demand for rare single malt whiskies and in particular Japanese ones remain at an all time high.  As expected, the highly collectible Yamazaki-50 year old, one of the rarest and oldest Japanese single malt whiskies of all time and the true connoisseur’s dream, fetched HK$257,250, 70% above the presale low estimate of HK$150,000.

Other prized Japanese whisky scored equally well, with Hanyu Ichiro’s Playing Card series from the silent distillery also achieving prices above presale estimates. A set of ‘Royal Flush’ featuring Ace of Clubs, Two of Clubs, Three of Clubs, Four of Clubs and Five of Clubs sold for HK$159,250.  While the set of ‘Six Full House’ consisting of Six of Hearts, Six of Diamonds, Six of Spades, Five of Hearts and Five of Diamonds achieved HK$100,450.

Collectables from Karuizawa, another renowned Japanese silent distillery, attracted their equal share of bidders.  Leading the pack were the Karuizawa命之水 black and white series which sold for HK$116,375 and the extremely rare Karuizawa-1965-21 year old in a crystal decanter which fetched HK$104,125.

The most coveted Scottish single malt remains the Macallan.  The top lot of the sale went to a bottle of Macallan 55 Year Old limited edition in a Lalique crystal decanter which achieved HK$294,000 after intense bidding.

Also hotly contested were the extremely rare Macallan 1948 – 51 year old and the Macallan 1951 which sold for HK$153,125 and HK$147,000 respectively.

Not one to rest on its laurels, the Bonhams Hong Kong wine department is actively seeking consignments for the next Fine and Rare Wines, Cognac and Single Malt Whisky Auction to be held on 18 November. Consignments will close on 30 September. More liquid treasures will go to block at the next sale to quench the thirst among collectors for the finest wines, spirits and the ‘water of life’. 

Notes

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is the world’s third largest international auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 27 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to http://www.bonhams.com/.