It really has been a long time. I apologize for that, but I’m back.
Coming in hot, we’ve got 2018 here with us. 2017 was good, but let’s make 2018 better. Bonhams is doing their part, offering a nice sale on February 2nd in Hong Kong on Whisky.
As best as I can tell, this is an assortment from a many different owners, not a single cellar deal. It’s a mix of Japanese Whisky and Scotch. They’ve got some delicious, quirky, and rare. Let’s have a look
Lot 1 – Suntory Dragon Bottle Trio
Starting off strong with this quirky trio. This is your standard Suntory straight, 12 and 15 year. The kicker here is these amazing bottles. These are the types of pieces you’d be scared to throw away. What a fantastic lot, just remember, you’re buying it for the bottles.
Lot 56 – Port Ellen 1978 – 20 Year
Unlike the last lot, this is almost guaranteed to be delicious. Port Ellen is a currently closed distillery, though Diageo (the current owner) has plans to reopen it in 2020. The whisky is legendary and potentially going to be missed by the bidders who came for the Macallan. Keep an eye on this.
Same deal as before. Killer juice, getting overshadowed by some of the other hot whiskies. Again, keep an eye on this, it get more rare each year as people drink the little they have.
I have no idea how this series came to be. Three of these were bottled by Whisk-E, three by Berry Bros & Rudd, and two by Morrison & Mackay. The bottles are beautiful, the whisky from great products like Glenrothes and Laphroig, and it’s just so damn quirky. I’ve got my eye on this, just for how fantastically weird it is.
I had to pick one of the very old whiskies to write about and this is the one. It’s a less known distillery, which give us the opportunity to get delicious whisky for a somewhat reasonable price. Bottling in 2007 gives us 49 years of aging, though the color indicates a more gentle aging. I expect a special, rare, and delicious spirit.
I’m pointing out these two whiskys to show how important ratings, provenance, and age are. 151 is an 11 year old Karuizawa, the brown box, while 155 is 48 years old and rated 5 stars on many of the tasting sites. The cask for 155 yielded only 143 bottles and it seems like they were all pre-sold by the company that ordered the cask as marketing for their clients. The estimate for 151 is $900-$1,200 while 155 has an estimate of $23,000-$31,000. I think the prices indicate how many whisky collectors are doing the same thing, driving prices up on a few bottles and almost ignoring other bottles. Keep this in mind as I point out selections. I will rarely point out something that’s well known and sought after, as that’s no value add.
Lot 195 – Macallan-Glenlivet-1937 Decanter
