Japanese Yamazaki whisky sells for $33,000 at Bonhams

A bottle of Yamazaki 50-year-old single malt whisky fetched HK$ 2, 57,250 (over Rs 20 lakh) at a Bonhams sale in Hong Kong. Bonhams sold HK$ 6.56 million worth of whisky with 97 per cent of the lots sold.

The top lot was a Macallan 55-year-old limited edition in a Lalique crystal decanter that fetched HK$2, 94,000. Bottled in 2011 after 50 years spent aging in a Japanese oak cask, the Yamazaki is one of only 150 bottles produced, and sold above its high estimate of HK$1,90,000, Bonhams said.

Six of the 10 top lots were Japanese whiskies, including those from Karuizawa, a distillery that closed in 2001, and bottles from Hanyu Ichiro's playing card series that are highly sought by collectors.

A Hanyu Ichiro set featuring a "flush" poker hand made up of five bottles, each made from a separate cask, indicated by labels running from the ace to five of clubs, sold for HK$1,59,250 compared with a high estimate of HK$1,20,000.