A rare Karuizawa whisky from Japan was one of the highlights of Zachys' recent Hong Kong wine and spirits auction.

The 45-year-old single malt made $30,000, demolishing its $13,000 estimate at the May 29-30 sale.

Japanese whisky is known for its great taste, and increasingly great price

The reason for its strong performance?

The prestigious Karuizawa distillery closed down in 2011 - or "fell silent" to use the correct parlance. Which means no new liquid, putting a premium on the remaining few bottles.

All 152 lots of Japanese whisky sold - a reminder of the popularity of the country's tipple with collectors.

Senior whisky advisor for Zachys Asia, Elliot Faber, told the Drinks Business: "The spectacular sale of the Japanese single malt whiskies proves that connoisseurs are always seeking new taste and diversity in libations to expand their collections."

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