If you’re a fan of whiskey, and you have a few hundred grand to spend, you’re in luck because the world’s rarest and most expensive collection of Japanese whiskey will go up for auction next month. Called the Hanyu Ichiro Full Card Series, it is comprised of 54 bottles, each of which represents a playing card. It’s said that only four complete sets are still in existence today.

This is the second time the Hanyu Ichiro Full Card Series is up for auction at the esteemed Bonhams auction house. The first time the set of Scotch-style malt whiskey sold, it set a world record, according to Daniel Lam, the Bonhams’ Asia Director of Wine & Spirits.

So what makes this whiskey so expensive? The Japanese distillery where it was made was founded in 1941 by Isouji Akuto’s grandson, Ichiro, who comes from a long line of sake and whiskey brewers. Although the distillery closed, Ichiro saved 400 premium casks, bottling each “for release between 2005 and 2014.”

According to Lam:

“Over the years, moreover, many bottles have either been consumed or strictly kept in private, making it harder than ever to assemble a complete – and with such trusted provenance – series.”

This Full Card Series is expected to bring at least between $576,158-$768,210 at the Hong Kong-based auction on August 16.

Bonhams is also offering other rare whiskeys on the auction block such as a Highland Park 50-Year Old. This single-malt whiskey is made at the Highland Park distillery in Scotland and expected to auction for between $26,000 and $36,000. The conditions of the sale state that along with the whiskey, the buyer will receive a tour of the distillery as well.

If you’re interested in bidding on these rare jewels of the whiskey world, along with the many others available, you can register on Bonhams’ website. Keep in mind though that the lucky buyer of the Full Card Series lot will also pay a buyer’s premium of 24 percent of the final hammer price.

 

Featured Image via Bonhams