Ichiro’s Full Card Series of Single Malt Japanese whisky sold for HK$11.9 million (US$1.5m) last week.  

The card series single malt from iconic lost Japanese distillery Hanyu was part of the Bonhams Fine and Rare Wine and Whisky Sale, which took place in Hong Kong on 20-21 November. 

Each bottle in Ichiro’s set represents a playing card in a deck of cards and was sourced from a single cask dating from 1985 to 2014. 

 “We are thrilled to establish yet another world auction record with the Hanyu Full Card Series,” said Daniel Lam, Bonhams’ director of wine and spirits, Asia.  

“The bidding for the 54 lots was spirited and global, with strong participation from young collectors under 40 years old.” 

The set of 54 bottles sold for HK$11,890,360 (US$1,520,000), surpassing the previous record of HK$7.19m (US$917,000) set in August 2019 during a Bonhams Hong Kong sale. The new record-breaking set had a pre-sale estimate of HK$6.38m-HK$9.78m. 

“This fully demonstrates the universal appeal of whisky, and the deep market appetite for what is now ready to be one of the most collectable categories for the next generation,” said Lam. 

The Full Card Series set came from Club Qing, a bar in Hong Kong specializing in Japanese whisky and rare old Scotch whisky. It was founded in 2015 by Aaron Chan, who formed his collection more than a decade before the bar opened. 

The Hanyu distillery was founded in 1941 by Isouji Akuto, a 19th-generation descendent in a line of saké brewers. 

The distillery closed in 2000, although current owner Toa Shuzo has recently announced plans to bring Hanyu back online.  

Before it fell silent, Isouji’s grandson – Ichiro Akuto – took ownership of 400 casks from the distillery and hand-picked each whisky that was released between 2005 and 2014 as part of the Hanyu Ichiro’s Full Card Series.