Hong Kong — Two bottles of rare 60-year-old Macallan whisky could fetch record prices at a Bonhams Hong Kong auction on Friday as Asian buyers show an unslakable thirst for the drink as an alternative investment. Offered as separate lots at the sale, each 750ml bottle from 1926 carries an estimate of HK$3.6m to HK$4.5m ($459,000 to $573,000), excluding a 22.5% buyer’s premium, which is added to the hammer price. The auction record, including buyer’s premium, of HK$4.9m was set in 2014 for a six litre- bottle of Macallan 60 year old in a Lalique decanter. Any hammer price in excess of HK$4m on Friday would surpass that record once the buyer’s premium is included. Prices for whiskies have soared globally in recent years as more and more buyers seek out rare bottles from Scotland, including Dalmore and Port Ellen, as well as Japanese distilleries Karuizawa and Yamazaki. Daniel Lam, head of wine and whisky at auctioneer Bonhams in Hong Kong, said whisky has outperformed even the most co...

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