The world’s most expensive liquors come in gorgeous bottles and decanters made of the finest materials and are crafted from rare blends. Our roundup shares all the details of these covetable spirits.
By
Meyme Nakash
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If there’s one thing the most expensive liquors have in common, it’s their jaw-dropping price tags. Like the most expensive wines in the world, Domaine de la Romané-Conti wines, these bottles exist in limited quantities. However, the real reason they command such high prices is their stunning exteriors. The world’s top designers crafted these bottles using the finest materials, such as gold, platinum, and diamond. Some ultra-premium liquors come with the opportunity of visiting the brand’s distillery or include a luxury trip to the Maldives with purchase. Even iconic bottles such as Louis XIII, whose Rare Cask releases cost $50,000, are miles away from those on our list. Here’s our selection of the top 10 most expensive liquors in the world.
D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme: $44 million
The first bottle on our list is D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme. Priced at $44 million, the world’s most expensive bottle blows all other spirits out of the water. British designer Stuart Hughes, known for customizing luxury items, crafted the bottle. He adorned its neck with three 13-carat diamonds and its body with a central 18.5-carat diamond. Inside the bottle, there’s limoncello, a traditional lemon-flavored liqueur infused with lemon peels from the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Technically, limoncello is a liqueur, liquor’s much sweeter and stronger counterpart. Nonetheless, we included this bottle in our selection because of its shockingly high value. There are two bottles of D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme in existence, one of which an anonymous Italian client commissioned. It remains a mystery where the other bottle is today.
Isabella’s Islay Whisky: $6.2 million
The world’s most expensive liquor, as opposed to the world’s most expensive bottle overall, is Isabella’s Islay Whisky. The English crystal decanter is famously encrusted with more than 8,500 white diamonds and 300 rubies. It holds the brand’s original single-malt Scotch whisky. The blend has a smoky aroma and is smooth on the palate, but what really earns this bottle its $6.2 million price tag is its exterior. First, experts cover the entire crystal decanter in two bars worth of white gold. Then, they embellish it with gorgeous white diamonds and rubies that write out Isabella’s Islay in cursive on the body. Even the stopper is crafted completely of white gold, making this bottle a true masterpiece that’s highly collectible.
Billionaire Vodka: $3.7 million
The second most expensive liquor — and most expensive vodka in the world — is Billionaire Vodka. As its name suggests, only a select few can afford the luxury of this $3.7 million bottle. Luxury designer Leon Verres crafted the platinum bottle, encrusting it with 3,000 white diamonds. These diamonds take the form of rings that wrap around the bottle’s faux fur exterior. The bottle has a miniature chapka, a 19th-century hat worn by Polish cavalry. The distillers first ice-filtered the vodka through Nordic birch coal. Then, they poured the blend through crushed diamonds and gems. The brand transports each bottle of Billionaire Vodka by private jet or yacht. Upon arrival, a white-gloved armed messenger personally delivers this luxury bottle to clients.
Tequila Ley .925 Diamante: $3.5 million
Tequila Ley .925 Diamante takes luxury tequila to the next level. Jose Davalos Mejia designed the decanter using five pounds of platinum and 18.5 carats of diamond. He spent 10 months perfecting the exterior, setting it with 4,100 white diamonds. Tequila Ley first launched .925 Diamante tequila in 2007 for the staggering price of $1 million. When it didn’t sell, the brand reintroduced the lavish bottle in 2016 for an astonishing $3.5 million. This ultra-premium blend contains agave from Jalisco, Mexico, that’s slow-roasted and distilled twice in copper pot stills. It aged for up to seven years in French oak barrels, resulting in rich flavors such as vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak. There is only one bottle of this ultra-luxury tequila still in existence.
Henry IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne: $1.9 million
The distillers of this cognac claim to be descendants of King Henry IV — hence the bottle’s name. It is more than 100 years old, one of the oldest cognacs in existence. While the bottle’s inside contents are certainly rare, its nearly $2 million price is largely due to its extravagant exterior. José Davalos Mejía, also the designer of Tequila Ley .925 Diamante, designed it using 24K gold, a platinum and silver blend, and more than 6,500 diamonds. In 2008, Tequila Ley .925 announced its partnership with Maison Dudognon and presented this bottle to the public.
The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926: $1.9 million
The Macallan Valerio Adami 1926 is one of the most covetable bottles of whisky in the world. It aged in sherry casks for 60 years. The brand produced only 40 bottles, which it offered exclusively to its top clients. Of the 40 bottles, 14 feature the brand’s iconic Fine and Rare labels. In 2019, Sotheby’s sold one of these bottles for $1.9 million, setting the record for any bottle of wine or spirit sold at auction. Other bottles have labels painted by Italian artist Valerio Adami and English artist Peter Blake.
Dictador M-City Golden Cities Series: $1.5 million
The most expensive rum in the world is naturally very exclusive. Uniquely, Dictador M-City Golden Cities Series is available for purchase by invitation only. That’s because it includes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit M-City Golden Cities’ distillery in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. There, you’ll choose from 110 private casks to craft your own rum. Experts blend the rum and pour it into a handmade, personalized 24K gold-plated bottle. Polish artist M-City designed the bottle, which features an engraving of a map of Cartagena. Each bottle has a starting price of $1.5 million, but the final amount depends on customization and specifications.
Russo-Baltique Vodka: $1.3 million
In 2008, Russian vehicle and aircraft manufacturer Russo-Balt conceptualized this premium vodka. Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, accepted the first bottle ever produced at an exclusive car show, the Top Marques, at the Grimaldi Forum in 2009. The bottle features a replica of Russo-Balt’s iconic radiator guard. It is made of melted Russian gold coins, each minted between 1908 and 1912. The company produced 625 bottles, the same number of automobiles it manufactured between 1908 and 1912.
Diva Vodka: $1 million
Experts distilled Diva Vodka using premium English grain and filtered it seven times for a smooth texture. First, it is filtered through Nordic coal. Then, it passes through a dense column of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds before it is bottled. The real reason why it has such a high value, though, is the tube filled with gemstones that run down the center of the bottle. These colorful crystals are Swarovski Elements that you can remove from the bottle and keep. This bottle is available in three colorways: blue, green, and pink. These colorways comprise a beautiful array of Capri blue-, sapphire-, emerald-, peridot-, and fuschia-colored crystals. Around the bottle, there’s also a removable bracelet that features the brand’s logo. If you’re looking for an expensive bottle of alcohol to add to your collection, Diva Vodka is surely a colorful addition.
Mendis Coconut Brandy: $1 million
Mendis Coconut Brandy doesn’t come in a fancy bottle. However, it is the world’s first clear brandy made of coconuts. It was distilled in French pot stills and matured for a minimum of two years in Hamilla wood casks. The first (and only) bottle of coconut brandy hit the market in 2008 for the whopping price of $1 million. The distillery’s founder signed and numbered the bottle, complete with a certificate of authenticity. This bottle comes with a first-class flight and a seven-night stay in the Maldives, where the buyer will accept it. It is unclear whether anyone ever purchased it.
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