A unique bottle of Yamazaki 50 Year Old single-malt whisky created exclusively for Club Natsume, an elite private club in Nagoya, Japan, nearly doubled its high estimate recently to fetch HK$8,250,000, or about $1 million, after a contest involving three bidders at Bonhams Hong Kong.. That broke the previous record, HK$6,200,000 (about $790,000), set at Bonhams Hong Kong in 2020 for a Yamazaki 55-Year-Old. The sale occurred May 30.
“Breaking the world record for a Japanese whisky at auction is an important milestone,” said Amayès Aouli, global head of wine and spirits, in press materials. “It is also another powerful signal of Bonhams’ commitment to shaping the future of fine wine and spirits auctions.”
The 50 Year Old is the distillery’s second-oldest expression, created only three times, in 2005, 2007, and 2011. This particular example, in a 700 ml bottle, bears a washi label and is signed by Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender at Japanese distiller Suntory, parent company to Yamazaki. This bottle is believed to have been released in the mid-2000s, says the auctioneer, and has been in private hands ever since. The whisky was aged in the finest Japanese Mizunara oak, and the bottle came in its original wooden presentation case, accompanied by a scuffed neck charm and original pouch.
Club Natsume, nicknamed “Japan’s Chamber of Commerce for Nightlife,” was founded in 1953.
Yamazaki 50 Year Old.
Another lot also performed very well: Karuizowa 52 Year Old Cask #5627, 1960 – Treasure Ship, estimated at HK $3.2 million (about $408,420), fetched HK$6,250,000, or about $797,000.
“Bonhams now holds the top three prices ever achieved at international auction for a bottle of Japanese whisky,” notes the house in press materials.
Yamazaki became the first malt whisky producer in Japan when it opened in 1923. Its products have risen exponentially in value, as Sotheby’s pointed out in 2023, calling its 50 Year Old First Release “the peak of rare, collectible Japanese whisky.” Only about a dozen bottles remained from the original 50, said Sotheby’s.
