20 Aug 2020 The 10 most expensive alcohols in the world
Here’s a look at some of the planet’s most expensive tipples, designed for the fabulously wealthy.
Anyone working in the beverage industry knows all about markups – and the fine art of finding that balance between offering a product that’s widely affordable, while also trying to maximise your returns.
For some alcohol brands, however, affordability is the very last thing on their minds!
1. The world’s most expensive whisky – Isabella’s Islay – $6.2 million
This fine very old single malt comes from Islay, one of the Inner Hebridean islands, and it is marketed by the Luxury Beverage Company of the United Kingdom. A bottle of Isabella’s Islay will cost you $6,200,000. No, that is not a typo – it really does cost more than 6 million dollars!
The reason? Its stunning decanter is made of English crystal covered in close on two bars of white gold, and decorated with 8,500 diamonds and almost 300 rubies. But relax – once you’ve finished it, the very fine whisky inside is available in refills!
2. The world’s most expensive tequila – Pasión Azteca – $3.5 million
Selling at $3,500,000, this tequila is right up there with the world’s finest and priciest drinks. The reason lies not only in the purity and extraordinary quality of the tequila itself, but also because it is sold in a stunning platinum bottle that is lavishly decorated with diamonds.
3. The world’s most expensive wine – Château d’Yquem, 1811 – $117,000
A bottle of Château d’Yquem, from the year 1811, sold in 2011 for $117,000 to Christian Vanneque, a French sommelier in Indonesia. Vanneque said he intended drinking this rare vintage on the 50th anniversary of his involvement with wine!
It is a Sauterne, a sweet wine from the Bordeaux region, known for their exceptional longevity. They’re also a popular choice for wine and chocolate tastings, but you’ll need a pretty darn expensive chocolate to accompany Château d’Yquem!
4. The world’s most expensive champagne – Taste of Diamonds – $2.07 million
The most expensive bottle of champagne has to be the 2013 Taste of Diamonds, valued at a staggering $2.07 million. Aside from the superb quality of the champagne itself, the bottle has a massive impact on the price. The logo is handcrafted from 18-carat gold and adorned with a 19-carat white diamond.
5. The world’s most expensive port – a vintage Niepoort – $127,000
There are good wines, there are great wines, and then there are wines that get into the Guinness World Record Book. This includes a very fine 155-year-old vintage Niepoort from Porto in Portugal. It comes in a numbered Lalique decanter, and the winemaker in 1863 was Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort, of the first Niepoort generation.
The Niepoort in Lalique 1863 got the Guinness record as the most expensive port wine ever sold at auction after it was recently sold for close on $127,000 per bottle.
6. The world’s most expensive gin – the Bombay Sapphire Revelation – $200,000
Bombay Spirits Company’s Bombay Sapphire Revelation brand of gin is, of course, made of grain alcohol and juniper berries, but it is also flavoured with a unique blend of herbs and spices including orris root, cubeb, lemon peel, coriander, almond liquorice, and angelica.
Priced at $200,000, Revelation comes in a beautiful crystal bottle of which only five were made. It was created by jewelers Baccarat and Garrard, and designed by Karim Rashid. Each bottle is handmade and adorned by a bejeweled stopper that has a sapphire centerpiece.
7. The world’s most expensive vodka – The New Russo-Baltique Vodka – $1.3 million
This is another superb and meticulously distilled vodka from the Russian car manufacturer Russo-Baltique, and its presentation is unique, justifying its price of $1.3 million.
Made of bulletproof glass, the bottle is designed to resemble the grille of the Russo-Baltique car. It is made of gold coins minted between 1908 and 1912, when the company made their first car. The bottle cap is also made of gold. It depicts an Imperial Eagle Russian and is decorated with diamonds.
8. The world’s most expensive sherry – Sherry Versos, 1891 – $14,000
This super-rare vintage sherry, by leading Spanish winemaker Barbadillo, sells for more than $14,000 per bottle. The sherry is sold in a crystal bottle that is shaped like an inkwell, and all the bottles are hand-made by the well-known Portuguese glaziers, Atlantis.
The beautiful bottle comes in a box of Spanish leather from Ubrike, Cadiz. The sherry is a dry Amontillado of a deep mahogany colour and has an intense, rich and nutty aroma that also hints at a variety of dried fruits.
9. The world’s most expensive cognac – 1762 Gautier Cognac – $45,000
At more than $45,000 per bottle, this 1762 Gautier Cognac has to be one of the world’s oldest cognac vintages as it dates back more than 300 years. The bottle sold to an online bidder at auction still had the handwritten label from when it was first bottled.
10. The world’s most expensive beer – Antarctic Nail Ale – $800
Claiming to be the world’s most expensive beer is Antarctic Nail Ale. It is brewed with water from Antarctic ice, and a bottle was sold for $800 at a fundraising auction for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Its Australia’s brewer, John Stallwood, is delighted that the most expensive bottle of beer sold was for a good cause and linked to conservation.