The demand for rare wine was “exceedingly” strong, with strong “in room” bidding coming from Shanghai and Hong Kong, as well as online and on the phone.

Highlights included nine bottles of JL Chave Cuvée Cathelin 1998, which sold for HK$423,300; an Imperial of Lafite 1959 (6L), which went for HK$398,400; and a bottle of Domaine Leroy Musigny 2013 which went under the hammer for HK$348,600.

On the spirits side, a limited set of Japanese whisky maker Karuizawa’s Fight Club Collection 1986-1988 realised HK$199,200. Out of the top ten lots five came from Burgundy, four from Rhône and one from Bordeaux.

Some of the most feverish bidding came from a large selection of spirits at the end of the auction. Zachys closed out the week with over US$1,000,000 of spirits auction sales internationally.

With an “international spirits only” auction scheduled for May, the market for rare whisky has never been stronger.

“Absentee bids, online bids and telephone bids came in for renowned single-owner collections Sui Generis, The Supreme Cellar Part III, The Ruby Collection Part VII and others. Impeccable provenance is paramount when it comes to fine and rare wines,” said Terrence Tang, Zachys head of Asia.

“Thank you to all of our clients who joined us online, over the phone and via absentee bids from Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Japan, Europe and the United States,” he added.