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Bonhams Whisky Cask Sale Sets New World Record
An exceedingly rare 30 year whisky cask from the famed Macallan Distillery fetched a world record 572,000 at a recent Hong Kong auction.
After going under the hammer at the Bonhams sale of Fine and Rare Wine and Whisky, the sherry hogshead cask - one of the oldest editions of Macallan whisky cask currently available on the market – sold for the record price.
Distilled in May 1989 and never since been moved from the distillery, the cask can be stored at Macallan for as long as the buyer wishes, or yielded into a total of 261 bottles by an independent bottler.
Speaking about the sale, Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ Director of Wine & Spirits, Asia, said: “Not only has this 30 year-old cask set the new world auction record for a whisky cask, but it is also the most expensive per bottle cask ever sold at auction, and is expected to produce 261 bottles valued at $2,200 per bottle.”
The sale also marks the second whisky world auction record set by Bonhams this year. Only three months ago, Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series established a new record for a Japanese whisky collection when it fetched $917,000.
Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney.