Whisky galore as visitors from mainland help sales double

The burgeoning number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong appears to have almost doubled the sales of whisky.

At a launch yesterday of a limited edition of Macallan single-malt scotch whisky, industry members said the sale of whisky had leapt in recent years and demand for expensive, fine whiskies is also on the rise.

Group Brand manager Peter Woo, of Maxxium Hong Kong which markets and distributes Macallan, said government figures in 2001 showed 80,000 cases were imported into Hong Kong, compared to 140,000 in 2005.

'In the last five years, the volume has almost doubled. There's a lot of travel between Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia, and there are regional trends.

'If something is hot in Hong Kong, then it is hot in the region,' said Mr Woo, who was promoting Macallan's latest offering which involves the release of 470 bottles of 50-year-old single malt worldwide.

Hong Kong gets four of the bottles. Last night one, with the lucky number of 388 and in a unique Lalique glass decanter signed by Macallan's master whisky maker Bob Dalgarno and Lalique glass maker Jean Claude Hertich, was auctioned for $108,000.