Rare Japanese Whisky Sells For $343,000, Breaks Record

The most expensive bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold broke auction records for its over $343,000 price tag. The rare bottle of 50-year-old Japanese Yamazaki whisky went to the highest bidder in the Bonhams Whisky Sale in Hong Kong on August 17. It is now the most expensive single bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold.

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Yamazaki was established in 1923 and is Japan's oldest whisky distillery. The bottle, which was expected to sell for between $229,310 to $305,749, went to an anonymous buyer from Asia who joined the auction by the phone and pushed bidding beyond expectations, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

The previous record for the most expensive bottle of Japanese whisky ever sold was established in May when Karuizawa 1960 52-year-old "The Dragon" was auctioned off for $312,130. Before that, a different bottle of Yamazaki was sold for around $299,000.

"The Yamazaki 50-year-old is an exceptional whisky and, of course, very rare indeed," said Daniel Lam, Bonhams head of fine wine and whisky, in a statement as reported by The Drinks Business. "This new world record for a bottle of Japanese whisky — just a few months after we set the previous one — and the world record we set for Scotch whisky in May demonstrate that the auction market for single malt whisky is in good health."

Could this whisky now be one of the world's most expensive wine and spirits?