Top Ten Most Expensive Spirits

By Christopher Osburn

Top Ten Most Expensive Spirits in the World

You might wander through your local liquor store and wonder who is actually shelling out the cash to purchase a $1,000 bottle of Scotch Whisky. I love whisky, but paying a thousand dollars for a 750ml bottle of the anything isn’t in my budget. But, there are those among us who have the means and the passion for a spirit to pay seemingly ridiculous prices. If you win the lottery tomorrow and have a few extra bucks to spend, here are Chilled Magazine’s Top Ten most expensive spirits in the world.

1. Remy Martin Black Pearl Louis XIII – ($165,000)

This Cognac is blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie that have been aged from 40 to 115 years. Only 786 decanters were made as that is the amount of Cognac contained within a single tierçon or barrel.

2. Bowmore 1957 – ($165,000)

In 2012, Bowmore released twelve bottles of their fifty-four year old scotch. The famed Islay distillery’s offering spent its first forty-three years in a sherry cask and the last eleven in a bourbon cask. I’ve been face to face with these glass and platinum bottles that pay tribute to the splashing ocean swells that crash against Bowmore’s barrel house on a daily basis.

3. Nun’s Island, Galway Distillery, 20-Year-Old Pure Pot Still Whiskey – ($200,000)

Ireland’s Galway Distillery closed its doors for good in 1908, well over one-hundred years ago. This whiskey was distilled in the 1800’s and is known as being one of the smoothest, tastiest whiskies in existence. Part of the reason this Irish whiskey is so expensive is because there are no known unopened bottles left.

4. The Dalmore 62 – ($200,000)

This sixty-two year old whisky from Scotland’s Dalmore Distillery was released in 2012. Due to the rarity of a whisky of this age, Dalmore limited the bottling of this offering to only twelve bottles. Good luck finding one.

5. The Macallan “M” six litre in Lalique – ($628,000)

The Macallan is well-known and is one of the most searched for and collected whiskies in the world. This single malt sold for just under $630,000 at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in January. The bottle itself is a piece of artwork. The crystal decanter sits at twenty-eight inches tall and holds six liters of whisky. The liquid inside is a combination of sherry casks aged between twenty-five and seventy-five years old.

6. Mendis Coconut Brandy – ($1 million)

If you’re like me, you’ve probably never heard of coconut brandy. Mendis Coconut Brandy first made its appearance in the spirits world back in 2007. Matured in Halmilla casks, this is the first ever clear brandy that is made from coconuts.

7. Diva Vodka – ($1 million)

Most of the spirits on this list are only expensive because of the liquid inside. Scotland’s Diva Vodka is expensive mostly because of the bottle that it comes in. This wheat-based vodka is filtered three times through Nordic birch charcoal and sits in a bottle that contains forty eight crystals including cubic zircona, smoky topaz, amethyst, citrine, pink tourmaline and peridot.

8. Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne – ($1.9 Million)

This is one of the most expensive bottles of alcohol in the world because it’s one-hundred years old and comes in a twenty-four carat gold and sterling silver bottle that is covered in bling. The bottle is adorned with almost seven thousand diamonds.

9. Pasión Azteca, Platinum Liquor– ($3.5 Million)

Made by Tequila Ley, the only tequila on this list, Pasión Azteca was first released in 2010. Similarly to Henri VI, this tequila is mostly pricey because of the bottle it comes in. The bottle is covered in 6,400 diamonds.

10. D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme – ($44 million)

This isn’t Danny Devito’s Limoncello. By far the most expensive spirit in the world, there’s only two known bottles of D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme. The neck of the bottle contains three single, thirteen carat diamonds and a giant 18.5 carat diamond. It was commissioned by an anonymous Italian client who purchased one. There’s still one more, so get your check book ready.