If you’re looking for a way to make quarantine interesting while being a fan of quality expensive whiskey Sotheby’s has something for you. From now through to April 19, famous auction house holds the online spirit auction which is led by 30 coveted bottles from the legendary Macallan Fine & Rare series which also comes straight from the Wing Hop Fung.
Established in 1985 in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, Wing Hop Fung has become the premier and trusted retailer of Asian products in Southern California, but also a grocery chain known for its fine wines and spirits. In 2005, Wing Hop Fung owner Dayton Ong purchased 30 different “Fine and Rare” bottles directly from the 196-year-old Scottish distillery, Macallan. In doing so they became, at the time, the only retailer on the continent to possess the entire range of “Fine and Rare” whiskies.
Macallan 56-Year-Old 1945
New releases have been added to the series since then, but the Wing Hop Fung collection is still significant. These whiskies, distilled between 1937 and 1972, have remained untouched since the initial purchase, resting in storage in the Wing Hop Fung private cellars. Now they are back on the market, down to their original wooden cases.
Starting bids for bottles in the Wing Hop Fung set range from $13,000, for a number of whiskies distilled in the 1960s and 70s, to $35,000 for the Macallan “Fine and Rare” 56 Year Old 1945. One of only 152 such bottles produced, it is estimated to fetch up to $50,000.
Though the Wing Hop Fung collection is the star of the show, the Distilled auction includes a range of rare and notable spirits. There are other Macallan bottles on offer, including a 72 Year Old in a custom Lalique crystal decanter—the oldest whisky ever sold by the distiller—with bidding starting at $70,000. A lot comprising seven Bowmore single malt Scotch whiskies, estimated to sell for $140,000 to $220,000, will likely command the highest figure—but asking prices for some bottles, such as a Mongolian Oak-aged Kentucky Bourbon from Old Charter Oak, start in the hundreds.
Macallan 56-Year-Old 1945
