R1.8m - for a bottle of tequila
2006-07-22 23:00
Mexico City - Forget the salt and lime, you'll need a mint to enjoy this tequila.
Producer Tequila Ley .925 says it has sold a bottle of Mexico's best-known beverage, in a gold and platinum casing, for a whopping $225 000 (about R1.8m), in what it claims is the most expensive spirit sale on record.
"This is a really unique bottle of tequila and our client, a United States-based collector of fine wines and spirits, will treasure this prize to add to an already impressive collection," said company CEO Fernando Altamirano.
Altamirano said he would apply to get the record in the Guinness Book of Records.
He says he has sold the most expensive bottle of liquor ever, but the book has to ratify the claim.
The buyer's name has not been revealed.
Tequila is made from agave, a blue cactus-like plant native to Western Mexico.
It sells for about R70 a bottle in the US.
The drink's profile has risen dramatically in recent years, and it has gained fans from all corners of the globe.
Earlier this month, Unesco added the blue agave-growing region to its World Heritage list.
The record-breaking bottle was part of a new range of luxury tequilas unveiled by Tequila Ley last week.
Named "Aztec Passion Limited Edition", it was encased in two kilograms of gold and platinum.
- AP