Close Menu
News

Bonhams wine and whisky sales top £16m in 2019

Auction house Bonhams saw its global wine and whisky sales reach £16 million (US$21.3m) in 2019 – a £1m (US$1.3m) increase on the previous year.

A cask of The Macallan filled in 1989 sold for £440,380 (US£572,000/ HK$4.5m) at Bonhams

Among the auctioneer’s most notable sales last year was a bottle of The Macallan Peter Blake 1926 60-year-old Scotch whisky, which fetched £615,063 (US$808,091) when it went under the hammer in Edinburgh in March.

Another Macallan sale also drew global attention – a 30-year-old Sherry hogshead – which set a new world record for the most expensive whisky cask sold at auction with a sale of £440,380 (US£572,000/ HK$4.5m) at Bonhams Hong Kong in November.

The whisky was distilled in May 1989 and the cask has been stored at the distillery since its sale. It is thought to have a potential yield of 261 bottles.

Furthermore, Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series set a new world record for a Japanese whisky collection at auction when it was bought by an Asian collector for HK$7,192,000 (£755,000/ US$917,000) at the Bonhams Fine & Rare Wine and Whisky Sale in August.

Richard Harvey, Bonhams international head of wine and master of wine, said: “This has been another good year for Bonhams’ wine and whisky departments, with eye-catching results underpinned by a strong performance across the field.

“Looking ahead, we already have some exciting sales lined up for 2020.”

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No