News Sotheby's: rare Japanese whisky expected to fetch over $300k

[thomas]

Drinkers may not always associate whisky with Japan, but distillers in the country have been making the spirit for 100 years. The crown jewel of the Japanese collection to go under the Sotheby's hammer on Friday, from an anonymous seller, is 1960 whisky from the now-closed Karuizawa Distillery, valued at 260,000 to 350,000 pounds ($322,600 to $434,300).

"It's one of those unique, trophy-hunter bottles that is so limited," said Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby's. The Kodawari -- which means "art of perfection" -- collection also includes bottles from well-known distilleries like Hanyu, Yamazaki, and Hakushu. Suntory Group owns the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries. The collection is expected to fetch 1.6 million to 2.1 million pounds in total, making it the most valuable set of Japanese whiskies ever to be auctioned, according to Sotheby's. The high value is testament to the rising popularity of Japanese whisky, which has leapfrogged U.S. and Irish ones to become the second most sought-after by collectors, behind only Scotch. The anonymous collector behind Kodawari is still only selling around 20% of his collection through the auction series at Sotheby's, speaking to the amount he has accumulated in the two decades since falling in love with a Karuizawa whisky in Paris.

In March 2020, a Karuizawa from the same cask distilled in 1960 broke the auction record for Japanese whisky when an Asian collector placed the winning bid of 363,000 pounds. Only seven years before, the same bottle could be purchased for just 14,000 pounds at its release.


Paywall alert:

Sotheby's aims for record Japanese whisky sale

1960 Karuizawa bottle expected to fetch over $300,000

asia.nikkei.com

 

[Majestic]

the same bottle could be purchased for just 14,000 pounds at its release

"Just" 14,000 pounds caught my eye.

 

[mdchachi]

"Just" 14,000 pounds caught my eye.

A bargain in hindsight