It is proving to be a good year for the liquor industry and like the entire luxury industry they must also be thankful to the Chinese. They are well known as purveyors of fine liquor. And now with enormous purchasing power in their hands they have set some very high records in auctions conducted by the wine and whisky industry. The world’s most expensive white wine was sold for $123,000 to a private collector and a Chinese businessman recently bought a $200,000 bottle of rare Dalmore 62 scotch whisky at the Changi Airport Group.
Keeping up the trend, rather momentum for the year a Hong Kong woman recently successfully bid a record-breaking price of $156,740 for a rare 153-year-old bottle of cognac from the house of Cognac Croizet. Incidentally, they are one of the oldest Cognac manufacturers from France. The bottle has a history behind it. Called Cuvée Léonie, the 1858 of Cognac was part of the wedding dowry for the founder Léon Croizet’s daughter in 1892. Maggie Vong who bought the most expensive Cognac plans to keep the bottle for a special occasion.
The auction was held exclusively for Cognacs. The first of its kind auction was held at Swatch Art Peace Hotel and only 16 bottles were auctioned off. Cuvée Léonie was the only one that had a reserve price. It was a grand entry for Cuvée Léonie into Mainland China which is the second largest consumer of Cognac in the world. The prevalent popular brands of Cognac in the region are Rémy Martin, the French cognac manufacturer Hennessy, Martell and Courvoisier. The Cognac auction was held for the benefit of a Shanghai charity.
Via: blog.cognac-expert, blogs.wsj
