Alcoholic drinks are consumed by nearly 86% of the United States population, with nearly 70% saying they drank within the last year. Alcoholic drinks aren’t usually super expensive, but once designers, artists, and jewelers get ahold of them, the sky’s the limit on how far they’ll go.
These are the 9 most expensive alcoholic drinks that money can buy. Continue reading to learn about not only the drinks themselves but the amazing bottles they come in.
- Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand CRU
- Suntory Yamazaki Whiskey
- Diva Vodka
- Russo-Baltique Vodka
- Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne
- The Macallan 1926
- Ley .925 Diamante Tequila
- Billionaire Vodka
- Eye of the Dragon Vodka
Year: 1945
Type: Wine
photo source: Decanter
The Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti Grand CRU is the world’s most expensive bottle of wine. It comes from the infamous vineyards of Romanée-Conti, the 62-acre farms in the heart of France, which include major wine labels like Richebourg, La Rache, and Grands Echezeaux.
This 1945 vintage bottle sold for $558,000 in 2018, making it the world’s most expensive wine.
Did you know?
The Romanée-Conti vineyards plunged into trouble in 1945, which made this bottle so scarce and valuable. Harsh weather conditions led to low wine production that year, limiting this vintage to 600. Whenever one of the ’45 bottles goes up for auction, it’s an event unto itself.
Year: Suntory Beverage & Food Limited
Type: Whiskey
photo source: Tipxy
This bottle of Suntory Yamazaki whiskey was aged 55 years before selling for nearly $1 million. This makes it the most expensive bottle of whiskey to ever come out of Japan, which is well-known for its prestigious whiskey producers even though Scotland holds the majority share in it.
The whiskey has a sweet, smooth palate and a spicy finish. Hints of flavors in its silky body include tastes of cedar, ginger, mango, sandalwood, and orange. Another bottle of Suntory Yamazaki has sold for around $350,000, securing its reputation at this price range.
Did you know?
Single malt whiskey from Suntory Yamazaki has been leaving Japan since 1899. Its founder, Shinjiro Torii, built the first distillery for malt whiskey in all of Japan in Kyoto 99 years ago.
Year: Diva Vodka
Type: Vodka
photo source: Mashed
Diva Vodka may come in the most glamorous bottle yet on this list. This incredible designer bottle appears on the outside like a cylindrical clear bottle, the kind that designer water comes in. But running up through the center is a luxurious stalk of decadent Swarovski crystals.
That’s not even to mention the drink inside. This vodka is filtered through ice, through Nordic birch charcoal, and then through diamonds and other jewels. A bottle of triple-distilled Diva Vodka with the Swarovski garnish will run you up a cool $1 million.
Did you know?
Since 1895, Swarovski has been making luxurious designer crystals out of Austria. In addition to vodka bottles, they also make chandeliers, sculptures, and all manner of fine jewelry.
The difference between Swarovski crystal and other brands, while somewhat of a trade secret, is that Swarovski has found a way to manufacture perfectly uniform glass crystals. This not only makes them shinier in the light but also more durable.
Year: DARTZ MotorZ
Type: Vodka
photo source: DartzMotorz
The Russo-Baltique Vodka was made by Dartz Motorz, a Russian car manufacturer that wanted to create a premium version of their national drink. It premiered in 2009 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, debuting as the most expensive vodka of its day.
Prince Albert presented this vodka at Top Marques on television to a thirsty nation, eager to partake in this $1.3 million bottle. In the Netflix show, House of Cards, the president of Russia presented President Underwood with a bottle of Russo-Baltique vodka during the state dinner episode in season 3.
The bottle on the show was a replica, however. The real one is sculpted from 13 pounds of silver and gold and has a cap encrusted in real diamonds.
Did you know?
In 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark, a man stole a bottle of this vodka from Café 33, a well-known vodka bar, while the bottle was on loan. As a result, this may be the most expensive alcohol robbery of the modern age!
Year: Henri IV Dudognon Heritage
Type: Champagne
photo source: Reddit
Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne is the most expensive champagne of all time. It is known as the “DNA of cognac” because of its incredible age and heritage. The champagne was aged for a century in oak barrels after going into the cask in 1776.
The bottle of this champagne is worthy of the luxury drink inside. It’s been dipped in 24-karat yellow gold on one half. The other is sculpted from sterling platinum and encrusted with 6,500 brilliant-cut diamonds.
A bottle of Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne costs $2 million.
Did you know?
The champagne is named for the French King, Henry IV, also known as Good King Henry. He ruled from 1589 to 1610, the first king from the House of Bourbon.
His reign was cut short in 1610 when he was assassinated by François Ravaillac. His son, King Louis XIII, took over after he died.
Year: Macallan
Type: Scotch
photo source: Sotheby’s
The world’s most expensive Scotch is also one of those holy grails of spirits collecting that’s as famous for the bottle as for the exorbitant price. This amazing 1926 Macallan Scotch whiskey sold for around $2.07 million at a Sotheby’s auction, which is amazing considering the auction house had valued it at around $500,000.
This Scotch was aged for 60 years, one of 40 bottles made in legendary cask #263. In addition, the Macallan 1926 bottle up for auction here was one of only two to have been originally unlabeled. This one was given a hand-painted bottle design by the artist Michael Dillon all those years ago, making it a one-of-a-kind creation.
Did you know?
This Scotch whiskey was aged in European Oak casks. Other valuable bottles in this vintage include 12 labeled by the pop artist Peter Blake and 12 more with labels painted by Valerio Adami.
Year: Ley .925
Type: Tequila
photo source: Ley925
The world’s most expensive bottle of tequila is the Diamante made by Ley .925. The hand-crafted bottle is sculpted in the shape of a dragon, made from 4.4 pounds of platinum and glass and caked in white diamonds.
The tequila in this amazing bottle is aged in specialty oak barrels for 18 months, rested for seven years, and poured into the jeweled sculpture. The Ley .925 Diamante Tequila sells for $3.5 million.
Did you know?
Oak barrels are a favorite in luxury tequila manufacturing. When aged in these casks, the oak imparts flavors of butterscotch and vanilla to the tequila due to lignins in the oak breaking down in the drink.
Vanillin is created through this reaction, which is the flavor chemical responsible for vanilla flavors.
Year: Billionaire
Type: Vodka
photo source: Twisted Lifestyle
The Billionaire Vodka is triple-distilled, sourced from water in Caverswall Castle in England, one of the freshest sources of water anywhere in the world. It’s so fresh that it’s known for its healing properties as well as for its amazing taste.
Billionaire filters the vodka through ice, through Nordic birch charcoal, and then through crushed diamonds, which are turned into sand that further purifies the vodka. Though labeled “the world’s most expensive vodka,” we’ll soon see that this isn’t the case.
Did you know?
The Billionaire Vodka comes with a 24-hour concierge service offered through the Billionaires brand and comes in an exquisite bottle. It’s made of Rhodium and Platinum plating on a base of crystal, covered in diamonds. Even the seal is made from platinum-flocked foil.
Year: Royal Dragon Vodka
Type: Vodka
photo source: Drinks International
The most expensive alcoholic drink is The Eye of the Dragon Vodka. This bottle by Royal Dragon Vodka is the priciest ever, partly because of its exquisite bottle, which is encrusted in literally thousands of diamonds atop a hand-blown glass dragon sculpture. An 18-karat gold coating completes this powerful image.
Royal Dragon makes their vodka in small batches, distilled five times, and mixed with gold leaf in the drink for just that extra taste of luxury. This vodka is 80-proof and comes straight out of Hong Kong, selling for $5.5 million per bottle.
Did you know?
Red Dragon Vodka was founded back in 2012, which happens to be the year of the Water Dragon in China. It’s a fortuitous occasion for the creation of a brand with such an iconic dragon insignia, as well as for vodka itself, which derives from the Eastern Slavic word “voda,” meaning water.
The Takeaway
The world’s most expensive alcoholic drinks range from the most amazing vodkas to the oldest wines. The bottles are often just as valued as the drinks, if not more so. You’d have some of history’s most privileged tastebuds if you ever get a sip of one of these.
