While Scottish single malts have long held sway over discerning alcoholic beverage boffins, it’s no secret that the world has now fallen head over heels in love with Japanese whiskies. In fact, in 2018 alone, three much-coveted vintages of these newcomers smashed all expectations at auction and set consecutive and ever-increasing records for the most expensive bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold. Here are the three amazing bottles behind the stunning upset.
Yamazaki 50-year-old Single Malt
Right at the start of 2018, one particular Sotheby’s auction saw a new record set when a Yamazaki 50-year-old single malt sold for an eye-watering HK$2.337 million. To put things into perspective, a more affordable Yamazaki 12-year-old currently sells for roughly HK$1,000, making this vintage lot a true star attraction.
Karuizawa 1960 52-year-old The Dragon
Scarcely had the dust settled when, in May 2018, another record was set at a Bonhams Hong Kong auction. The culprit? A rare Karuizawa 1960 52-year-old The Dragon, one of just 41 bottles produced and the unquestionably the oldest Karuizawa whisky in the world. The final hammer price? A staggering HK$2.45 million.
Yamazaki 50-year-old First Edition
The title of ‘Grand Daddy of all Japanese Whiskies’, though, undoubtedly goes to an extremely rare Yamazaki 50-year-old First Edition, which was purchased at a Bonhams Hong Kong auction in August last year for a record-breaking sum of US$343,000 (HK$2.69 million).
While Japanese whiskies still have a ways to go before they can challenge the current record-holder of the most expensive whisky ever sold – an accolade held by a Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 60-year-old, which sold for HK$8.64 million – there is no question that the whisky makers of Japan have quite literally hit upon liquid gold.