Saké makes its debut at Sotheby’s

Having taken great strides to expand its fine wine department in recent years, most notably by bolstering its spirits arm, auction house Sotheby’s is going to offer its first lot of saké in an online sale starting this month.

As part of an online sale running from 30 October to 10 November, the auctioneer will offer six bottles of saké that have been consigned directly from the Dassai brewery in Yamaguchi prefecture.

Made from Yamada Nishiki rice and made to the highest grade of saké – Junmai Daiginjo – these six bottles (numbered 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8) are from a batch of a mere 23 bottles.

The six bottles have a pre-sale estimate of HK$32,000 to HK$50,000 (US$4,000-$6,000).

Adam Bilbey, head of Sotheby’s Wine, Asia, said: “We are excited to debut sake at Sotheby’s auction with Dassai, one of the most revered names in the world of Japanese sake. The impeccable provenance of these bottles, and the superior quality liquid within, are exemplary of Sotheby’s Wine’s ever-expanding portfolio.”

The sale will also feature a private collection of fine wines from Dr Kordon Ku covering the major wine regions of the world and there is also a vertical collection of Penfolds Grange from 1973-2003.