In 2005, the famed Yamazaki distillery, now considered one of the top Japanese whisky makers, released its oldest expression then – the 50-Year-Old First Release. It was a hit, widely touted as the king of Japanese whisky.
The limited release of only 50 bottles largely went to local bars. Today, it is believed that there are no more than a dozen bottles left. Even with subsequent releases of Yamazaki 50-Year-Old – in 2007 and again in 2011 – the 2005 edition has become the rarest of fine Japanese whisky.
Auction house Bonhams is offering a bottle up for auction on May 20 in Hong Kong. The bottle is estimated to fetch somewhere between HKD3,500,000 and HKD 4,500,000 (about USD446,000 and USD574,000).
Another fine Japanese whisky will also be made available at the same auction. The Yamazaki 55-Year-Old, the distillery’s oldest expression to date, has an estimated value of HKD4,000,000-5,000,000, which is about USD510,000-638,000.
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