fad3r
12-21-2007, 02:21 PM
Premium tequila is one of the most expensive spirits on the market. Enthusiasts of the beverage often state that no other liquor has a more distinct taste based on price. Most of us will never taste the majority of tequilas on this list because for the same price we could buy a house. Following are the Top Ten (10) Most Expensive Tequilas in the world.
10. Gran Patrón Platinum: $250
Patron is often credited for the boom in the high end tequila market throughout the United States in the 1990s. Patron's ultra premium tequila, more specifically, Gran Patron Platinum, utilizes agave from the highlands where the lingering volcanic ash gives the tequila a distinctive taste that is often stated to be a fresh, buttery, and citrus smooth finish. The Gran Patron Platinum bottle comes encased in a maple box.
9. Don Julio Real: $350
Don Julio Real comes from legendary producer Don Julio Gonzalez. This premium tequila is aged in white oak casks and was founded in Atotonilco when he was 17. The exquisite glass bottle is showcased by silver agave leaves. The Don Julio brand is now owned by Cuervo. Cuervo is the world's largest producer of tequila.
8. Herradura Seleccion Suprema: $350
This high end tequila comes from a legendary producer who created the first aged and premium tequila in the 1960s. This tequila is a creamy, amber colored spirit with a smooth texture and a crisp flavor of dry wood and sweet cinnamon.
7. Partida Elegante: $350
Teaming up with Mexico's Partida family, American financier Gary Shansby created Partida Elegante to focus around the heritage of Mexico. Partida Elegante has received high awards for its bottlings and only comes to the consumer after three years and four months of aging.
6. Rey Sol Anejo: $400
Bottled in a special Sun King bottle which was designed by prominent Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante, Rey Sol Anejo is premium tequila. This extra anejo tequila is produced by the Casa San Matias distillery. The flavor is described as soft with a slightly herbal hue. The after taste resonates with a vanilla, caramel and spice taste leading to a classic warm and savory finish.
5. Tres Cuatro y Cinco: $500
One of Mexico's largest holders of Agave, the famous Fonesca family producers this ultra premium tequila. This tequila is a blend of three, four and five year aged spirits which are artfully bottled in a unique crystal decanter.
4. Asombroso Reserva Del Porto: $1,100
Ambroso is taking pre-orders for its summer ’07 ultra-premium release, aged in French oak for five years and then another year in port barrels. The bottle is a hand-blown, 18th-century replica decanter.
3. 1800 Coleccion: $1800
Aging in charred French oak barrels gives 1800’s rare extra-añejo a rich, toasted flavor. For each production, a different Latin American artist is commissioned to design the packaging.
2. Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio: $2,000
Austria native Martin Grassl moved to Mexico in 1991 to establish the Porfidio distillery. He says his rigorous distillation methods, which involve a gas chromatographer, separate the “head” and “tail” of the spirit, leaving the “heart” of the refined liquid. The Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio is aged in both virgin French limousin oak and new Italian acacia wood, and housed in a hand-blown glass bottle. Only 2,000 bottles of Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio are produced each year—and most are exported to Japan.
1. Ultra Premium Tequila Ley .925 “Pasion Azteca”: $225,000
This platinum-and-gold bottle fetched nearly a quarter-million dollars at auction in Mexico City last year. The spirit that fills it is a triple-distilled mix of 8-, 10- and 12-year-old agave plants and is produced by Hacienda La Capilla Distillery in Los Altos, Jalisco. Ley .925 CEO Fernando Altamirano says the liquor is aged in barrels whose provenance is “top secret.”
10. Gran Patrón Platinum: $250
Patron is often credited for the boom in the high end tequila market throughout the United States in the 1990s. Patron's ultra premium tequila, more specifically, Gran Patron Platinum, utilizes agave from the highlands where the lingering volcanic ash gives the tequila a distinctive taste that is often stated to be a fresh, buttery, and citrus smooth finish. The Gran Patron Platinum bottle comes encased in a maple box.
9. Don Julio Real: $350
Don Julio Real comes from legendary producer Don Julio Gonzalez. This premium tequila is aged in white oak casks and was founded in Atotonilco when he was 17. The exquisite glass bottle is showcased by silver agave leaves. The Don Julio brand is now owned by Cuervo. Cuervo is the world's largest producer of tequila.
8. Herradura Seleccion Suprema: $350
This high end tequila comes from a legendary producer who created the first aged and premium tequila in the 1960s. This tequila is a creamy, amber colored spirit with a smooth texture and a crisp flavor of dry wood and sweet cinnamon.
7. Partida Elegante: $350
Teaming up with Mexico's Partida family, American financier Gary Shansby created Partida Elegante to focus around the heritage of Mexico. Partida Elegante has received high awards for its bottlings and only comes to the consumer after three years and four months of aging.
6. Rey Sol Anejo: $400
Bottled in a special Sun King bottle which was designed by prominent Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante, Rey Sol Anejo is premium tequila. This extra anejo tequila is produced by the Casa San Matias distillery. The flavor is described as soft with a slightly herbal hue. The after taste resonates with a vanilla, caramel and spice taste leading to a classic warm and savory finish.
5. Tres Cuatro y Cinco: $500
One of Mexico's largest holders of Agave, the famous Fonesca family producers this ultra premium tequila. This tequila is a blend of three, four and five year aged spirits which are artfully bottled in a unique crystal decanter.
4. Asombroso Reserva Del Porto: $1,100
Ambroso is taking pre-orders for its summer ’07 ultra-premium release, aged in French oak for five years and then another year in port barrels. The bottle is a hand-blown, 18th-century replica decanter.
3. 1800 Coleccion: $1800
Aging in charred French oak barrels gives 1800’s rare extra-añejo a rich, toasted flavor. For each production, a different Latin American artist is commissioned to design the packaging.
2. Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio: $2,000
Austria native Martin Grassl moved to Mexico in 1991 to establish the Porfidio distillery. He says his rigorous distillation methods, which involve a gas chromatographer, separate the “head” and “tail” of the spirit, leaving the “heart” of the refined liquid. The Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio is aged in both virgin French limousin oak and new Italian acacia wood, and housed in a hand-blown glass bottle. Only 2,000 bottles of Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio are produced each year—and most are exported to Japan.
1. Ultra Premium Tequila Ley .925 “Pasion Azteca”: $225,000
This platinum-and-gold bottle fetched nearly a quarter-million dollars at auction in Mexico City last year. The spirit that fills it is a triple-distilled mix of 8-, 10- and 12-year-old agave plants and is produced by Hacienda La Capilla Distillery in Los Altos, Jalisco. Ley .925 CEO Fernando Altamirano says the liquor is aged in barrels whose provenance is “top secret.”