Appearing at auction for the first time, a stunning decanter of Glen Grant-1948-72 year old by Gordon & MacPhail sold at Bonhams Hong Kong Whisky sale on 29 January for HK$421,600, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate of HK$380,000. Scotch whisky dominated seven of the top ten lots of the sale. The top lot was a classic Macallan Lalique-50 year old, which sold for an impressive HK$1,054,000, against an estimate of HK$750,000-900,000.

Daniel Lam, Bonhams Director of Wine and Whisky, Asia, said, "After a record-breaking year for Japanese whisky, collectors are now turning their attention to Scotch whisky. Of the top ten lots sold in the sale, seven of them were Scotch whisky, all sold above their high estimate. This gives the market a very encouraging start for 2021."

The decanter of Glen Grant-1948-72 year old was bottled in 2020 and this is the first time it has appeared at auction. Numbered 88 of 290, the bottle is especially auspicious – 88 is a symbolic number in Chinese culture, meaning "wealthy". It is also unusual for a whisky of this age to retain such a high alcoholic content at 52.6% volume, and this gives particular vitality to its taste and aroma.