HONG KONG.- Bonhams Hong Kong will hold its whisky auction featuring over 400 lots of extremely rare Japanese and Scotch whiskies on 28 August at Bonhams Hong Kong gallery (2001, One Pacific Place, Admiralty).

Auction highlights include highly sought-after whiskies from silent Japanese distilleries Karuizawa and Hanyu (both of which have closed down and ceased production), and Scotch distilleries Macallan, Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

Headlining the sale will be the a magnificent full set (54 bottles) of Hanyu Ichiro’s Card Series, which is offered first time in auction history with an estimation of HK$1,800,000 - HK$ 2,400,000.

Founded by the Akuto family, the Hanyu distillery has an intriguing history. The Akutos have been brewing sake as far back as 1626 in Chichibu. They began making single malt whisky when the 19th generation of the family Isouji Akuto set up a distillery in Hanyu in 1941. In 2000, the Hanyu distillery was sold and shut down due to ailing business. Isouji’s grandson Ichiro Akuto, determined to let the Hanyu name live on, rescued 400 casks from the distillery, with vintages ranging from 1985 to 2000. The top 54 single cask barrels were bottled and sold as the Ichiro 'Playing Card' series, with the first expression released in 2005, and the last – the Joker – in 2014. Since debuting in 2005, the 54-bottle series has been sought after by many whisky lovers. Because of its rarity, it is seldom seen on the auction market. Only 3 collectors in the world are said to be in possession of the complete series. The upcoming auction at Bonhams provides a good opportunity for ardent collectors to get their hands on this highly coveted series.

· Karuizawa - 1960 (53 year old)
One of the oldest and rarest Japanese whisky, only 41 bottles of Karuizawa - 1960 were produced. Estimate: HK$400,000 - 500,000

· Karuizawa - 1960 (33 year old)
Bottled in 1993 and released in a limited edition of 100, Karuizawa - 1960 marked the first time that a whisky bottle was decorated with a gold flakes and white marble spiral pattern. Housed within a custom-made wooden gift box, the 720ml single malt whisky is bottled at 43% abv. A bottle of Karuizawa - 1960 (33 year old) was auctioned off at Bonhams for HK$ 245,000. Estimate: HK$220,000 - 240,000

· Karuizawa - Toulouse Lautrec series (4 bottles)
1) Karuizawa - 33 year old - #4556-Toulouse Lautrec；2) Karuizawa - 31 year old - #78-Toulouse Lautrec；3) Karuizawa - 32 year old - #8461-Toulouse Lautrec；4) Karuizawa - 33 year old - #6431-Toulouse Lautrec

The Karuizawa - Toulouse Lautrec series has a proven track record on the auction market, having been auctioned off for HK$85,750 at Bonhams last August. As further testament to the popularity of the series, a single bottle of Karuizawa - 33 year old Toulouse Lactrec went under the hammer for HK$36,740 in May, 2015. Estimate: HK$100,000 - 140,000

· Karuizawa 1967 (42 year old)
Released in 2009, the Karuizawa 1967 received a raving 95 point from both Whiskyfun and Whiskynotes. Jim Murray awarded it 96 points in the Whisky Bible. The extremely rare whisky went under the hammer for HK$183,750 at Bonhams in May. Estimate: HK$80,000 - 110,000

Daniel Lam, wine and whisky specialist at Bonhams Hong Kong, says “In just a few years, whisky has become the choice of spirit for many buyers in the region – a development that we hadn’t anticipated. As the number of whisky collectors in the region increase, we believe that whiskies of tip-top quality, or those which have long ceased production, are in shortage. Under such circumstances, auction houses are reliable source for collectors to get their hands on precious drams at reasonable prices. I hope that whisky lovers and collectors wouldn’t miss the range of rare and precious whiskies on offer at our upcoming auction.”