Sotheby’s Hong Kong to hold largest online spirits sale

Auction house Sotheby’s Hong Kong has announced two new wine and spirit online sales, including its largest spirits auction comprising over 130 lots.

Owing to the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, the 2020 Sotheby’s Spring Sales in Hong Kong were moved from April to July. In the meantime, the auction house has added a series of online auctions, hoping to quench the thirst of buyers.

The two announced sales are ‘Distilled: whisky, moutai and more’, scheduled to be held from 21 April to 5 May, and “Vine ׀ The Wonderful Cellar: Part II”, open for bidding from 28 April to 12 May.

The online spirits sale is the largest ever presented by the Hong Kong outpost of the house, comprising over 130 lots.

The sale focuses on sought-after Scotch and Japanese whiskies as well as Chinese Kweichow Moutai. Leading the sale is Karuizawa Aqua of Life 50 Years 1968 – a limited release of 248 bottles from 2018 – and The Mortlach 75-Year-Old Gordon & Macphail Generations (1 BT70) – the oldest whisky ever bottled. The sale also offers a selection of Kweichow Moutai from the 1980s and 1990s, highlighted by the rare Flying Fairy Precious Moutai 1992.

The wine sale will feature a range of top Bordeaux such as Château Margaux 1996 and Château Cheval Blanc 2009, and also Champagne from some of the finest vintages, including Krug 1990, Salon Le Mesnil 2002, and Dom Pérignon Rosé from the 1990s. New World producers Penfolds and Joseph Phelps are also on offer.

Adam Bilbey, head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia, commented: “Hot on the heels of the strong performance of our London and New York online sales over the past two months, Sotheby’s Wine is excited to present an eclectic mix of spirits and an exceptional private cellar catering to the ever-increasing demand from the Asian collectors. Through our expanded online sales programme, we are offering our clients the maximum flexibility and convenience possible to acquire the very best wines and spirits during this unprecedented time.”

The auction house has been actively expanding its online sale business. In 2019, it sold US$250 million of fine art and luxury goods online, including US$80 million achieved across 129 dedicated online auctions – a 55% increased compared to 2018, and five times the amount achieved in 2017. Sotheby’s online sales worldwide in 2020 have been especially robust, having raised over US$35 million to-date.