S otheby’s Hong Kong is delighted to present the fall spirits sale for spirits, Finest and Rarest Spirits which features a huge variety of Scotch, Japanese Whisky and Moutai.
The sale includes a carefully curated collection of whiskies and spirits that comprises more than 50 different distilleries and over 30 independent bottlers, all of which are highly sought after and incredibly hard to find. The Karuizawa 36 views of Mount Fuji stands out amongst the crowd as something that is rarely available in the market as a full set in such pristine condition. Other old vintages of Karuizawa such as various Karuizawa Aqua of Life and Single casks from 1980 – 1999 are all available for those looking to complete their collection. The Hakushu 30 Year Old is a 1-of 15 rarity that we are delighted to present at auction for the first time. For enthusiasts looking for top quality old and rare scotch, the sale contains 14 different expressions of The Macallan Exceptional Single Casks as well as some very old Islay malts in the form of the Bowmore 1958 Brown Intertrade Label, and the Ardbeg 1973 27yo Kingsbury, a legendary bottle which scored 95 points on Whiskyfun.
Moutai offerings are equally exciting with large format bottles such as the Kweichow Moutai 100th Anniversary of The Panama Pacific International Expo Gold Award Memorial Edition and the Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy Year of the Horse, both of which were bottled in a 5 Litre format. For regular formats, various vintages from 1983 to 2013 of older Flying Fairy Moutai are excellent drinking options, whilst the Kweichow Moutai Great Hall of The People 50th Anniversary Edition 2009 is a rare collector’s gem that should not be missed.
Lot 6501 - 6655: Rare Scotch whiskies with over 60 lots of Macallan including The Macallan 72 year old Lalique, followed by old and rare Islay malts, a great variety of rare bottles from various scotch regions and a few exceptional Irish and American Whiskies.
Lot 6656 - 6889: Beginning with the Karuizawa 36 views full set, this section goes through all the top tier Japanese distilleries, with the Hakushu 30yo and the Yamazaki Junshin in the spotlight. This section ends with several bottles of Louis XIII Cognac.
Lot 6690 - 6944: Kweichow Moutai from 1980s to the present day, with special editions such as the Kweichow Moutai Great Hall of The People 50th Anniversary Edition and large formats such as the 100th Anniversary of The Panama Pacific International Expo Gold Award Memorial Edition (5 Liters).
For the fall sales, we have carefully curated some of the most exciting whiskies from The Macallan including The Macallan 72 Years Old Lalique Genesis Decanter, The Macallan Red Collection 50 Year Old, both the 1946 and 1954 Fine & Rare, and no less than 14 different bottles in the revered Exceptional Single Cask series.
The Macallan 72 Year Old in Lalique, Genesis Decanter 42.0 abv NV (1 BT70) (Lot 6501)
The Macallan 72 Year Old in Lalique Genesis Decanter, released in 2018 to celebrate the opening of the new Macallan Distillery. At the time, this was the oldest whisky released by The Macallan.
The Macallan Fine & Rare 56 Year Old 44.3 abv 1946 (1 BT75) (Lot 6503)
The Macallan Fine & Rare series of vintage bottles was conceived in 2002 and is home to the most valuable bottle in the world, the 1926 Fine & Rare. This bottle is a 1946 vintage aged for 56 years, with a total number of 350 bottles released worldwide.
The Macallan Exceptional Cask 2017/ESH-13561/07 54.6 abv 1996 (1 BT70) (Lot 6517)
The Macallan Exceptional Single Cask series has been popular with cultivated collectors seeking out single casks at natural strength. In this sale we are proud to feature 14 different bottles within the series for anyone looking to widen their collection. This particular bottle is a 1996 vintage released in 2017.
The Macallan Exceptional Cask series has always been a collector’s favorite for the most hardcore enthusiasts who are simply not satisfied with the common and ordinary. Every single release of The Macallan Exceptional Single Cask is unique in its own particular way, never to be recreated. We are delighted to feature an exceptionally wide range of The Macallan Exceptional Cask series which showcase every aspect of flavor The Macallan has to offer.
Karuizawa 36 Views of Mount Fuji FULL SET (36 BT70) (Lot 6656)
One of the earliest holy grails of Japanese whisky collection, the 36 views of Mount Fuji is a series of bottles coming from the lost distillery Karuizawa, with 36 different famous Ukiyo-e Japanese art labels on each expression, depicting the fascinating scenario of Mount Fuji. Collecting a full set has always been a difficult challenge for collectors across the world and due to its popularity, a full set is rarely available in the market.
Hakushu 30 Year Old Bottled For Kiyosato Field Ballet 30th Anniversary 49.0 abv NV (1 BT70) (Lot 6832)
Arguably the rarest bottle in this sale, this 30-year-old Hakushu is the oldest Hakushu ever bottled and one of the earliest vintages to come out from the 3rd generation Hakushu facility. It is a 1-of-15 rarity and extremely difficult to find anywhere.
The Yamazaki Junshin 52.0 abv NV (1 BT70) (Lot 6840)
The Yamazaki Junshin represents the pinnacle of Japanese Whisky blending. Without bragging about its vintage or age, the liquid inside actually comprises of Mizunara casks from 1960, 1961 and 1964, blended with a variety of peated malt, sherry casks and younger Mizunara casks to achieve the perfect balance of harmony and complexity. The expression was created by Suntory’s master blender Shinji Fukuyo to pay homage for Whyte & Mackay’s master distiller Richard Paterson in the name of show casing the ultimate craftsmanship of Japanese whisky.
The pinnacle of collectible Japanese whisky, Karuizawa has always displayed its many dimensions either through overwhelmingly beautiful bottles, or stunning liquids in subtle packaging, both of which are great reasons for us to fall in love with it. We have curated a large number of Karuizawa for this sale that are both stunning to taste and to admire.
Kweichow Moutai Great Hall of The People 50th Anniversary Edition 2009 (1 BT50) (Lot 6927)
This special edition of Kweichow Moutai is released in memorial of the 50th Anniversary of the Great Hall of The People in China, which is an iconic legislative building housing the National People’s Congress set up in 1959.
Kweichow Moutai 100th Anniversary of The Panama Pacific International Expo Gold Award Memorial Edition 2016 (1 JM50) (Lot 6932)
Large format bottles of Moutai are often highly appreciated in Moutai due to the nature of how its being consumed. This 5 liters “bottle” was created in memorial an event back in 1915, of which Moutai was being exhibited in the Panama Pacific International Expo. The shape of the bottle resembles how Chinese spirits were stored and bottled back in the days and presented worldwide.
The sale also includes an old and rare paradise for Scotch whisky lovers of all kinds. Regardless of whether you are a old school sherry lover, a peat monster or a lowland floral fanatic, the sale features Scotch from all regions, age, and flavor profiles.
Finest and Rarest Spirits is open bidding online from Monday 18th September 2023, with the live auction being scheduled for 2nd October 2023 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
