Among the whisky highlights is a collection from Club Qing, the Hong Kong whisky bar founded by Aaron Chan in 2015. The bar specialises in Japanese whisky and rare old Scotch whisky.
Featuring in the sale from Club Qing is a 54-bottle set of Ichiro’s Full Card Series from closed Japanese whisky distillery Hanyu. This is currently the world’s most expensive set of Japanese whisky ever sold at auction. Chan formed his collection over a decade prior to his bar’s opening, sourcing each of the 54 bottles globally before they became available in the auction market. Founded in 1941 by Isouji Akuto, the Hanyu distillery ceased production in 2000.
In 2019 a Full Card Series sold at Bonhams Hong Kong for HK$7.2m/ £717,435 (including 24% premium). Unlike the two previous examples at auction which were offered as one single lot of 54 bottles, this collection of the 54 bottles from Club Qing will be offered as individual lots of single bottles.
‘Legendary winemaker’
Also at Bonhams in Hong Kong is what the auction house describes as “one of the most encyclopedic wine collections in Asia”. The Collection of A-1 Fine Wines is estimated at more than HK$20m.
The group was put together by William Giauw from Singapore in the past 30 years and will be offered over 500 lots comprising 2000 bottles, Giauw founded his own wine merchant retail business – A-1 Fine Wines – in 1997. Among the lots to be offered is a Richebourg 1959 from legendary winemaker Henri Jayer.
The bottle has an estimate of HK$180,000-260,000.
