Rare Yamazaki whisky sells for record $1 million

On May 30, a 700-milliliter bottle of Yamazaki 50 Year Old set a new world record for Japanese whisky when it sold for HK$8,250,000 (approx. $1.05 million or ¥168 million).

The extremely rare whisky was the crowning item in a Hong Kong sale held by United Kingdom-based auction house Bonhams. The final price was nearly double its high estimate of HK$2.8 million to HK$4.2 million. According to Bonhams, an intense bidding war unfolded between three collectors before the record-breaking sale went under the hammer.

In a statement, Bonhams said the sale highlighted the “strong demand for ultrarare Japanese whiskies.”