Rare whisky headlines at Bonhams HK auction

Bonhams Hong Kong auction in August is filled to the hilt with 400 lots of rare Japanese and Scotch whiskies.

One of only three collections in the world…The coveted Ichiro Card series

The lineup for the 28 August sale includes 400 lots of rare Japanese and Scotch whiskies, including ones from the now defunct Japanese distilleries Karuizawa and Hanyu, and Scotch distilleries Macallan, Balvenie, and Glenfiddich.

Leading the sale is a full set of 54 bottles of Hanyu Ichiro’s Card Series – offered for the first time at auction (estimate: HK$1,800,000—2,400,000, US$232,170—309,560).

The Card Series consists of contents from the top 54 single cask barrels, with vintages ranging from 1985 to 2000 and were rescued from the distillery by Ichiro Akuto, grandson of Hanyu founder Isouji Akuto, when it closed down in 2000. Only three collectors worldwide are said to own the complete series.

Other highlights include a 53-year-old Karuizawa 1960 (estimate: HK$400,000—500,000, US$51,594—64,492), a 33-year-old Karuizawa 1960, decorated with gold flakes and a white marble spiral pattern (estimate: HK$220,000—240,000, US$28,376—30,956), and a four-bottle Karuizawa Toulouse-Lautrec series (estimate: HK$100,000—140,000, US$12,898—18,058).

Daniel Lam, wine and whisky specialist at Bonhams Hong Kong said: “In just a few years, whisky has become the choice of spirit for many buyers in the region – a development that we hadn’t anticipated.

“As the number of whisky collectors in the region increase, we believe that whiskies of tip-top quality, or those which have long ceased production, are in shortage.

“Under such circumstances, auction houses are a reliable source for collectors to get their hands on precious drams at reasonable prices. I hope that whisky lovers and collectors wouldn’t miss the range of rare and precious whiskies on offer at our upcoming auction.”