A champagne holder for yacht owners

For the yacht owner who want all the luxuries onboard, you can now add the gimballed champagne holder to your accessories, so as not to spill a drop of Champagne anymore!

The extraordinary hand-manufactured piece “was designed for Dutch company Bottler BV by a famous Dutch interior yacht designer, who was inspired by Gerolamo Cardano, the Italian physician, philosopher and mathematician. In 1537 he developed his 'cardanic suspension' (gimbals), in order to hold the compass stably against the ships movements.” It is designed with three concentric rings hold the bottle perpendicularly no matter the motion of the boat.

This extraordinary tribute to hedonism is made with watch-making precision and available in three different metals (brass, nickel and gold-plated) to match the interior of any yacht

Prices start from €5.500 (Bottler "J-Class limited edition" is priced €10.000)

For additional details or more information regarding Bottler, please contact Nathalie Beck, info@bottler.nl

Most expensive six-pack

A special limited edition collection of the new Stella Artois Nobilis beer (which looks a bit like bottles of Champagne on the picture above) recently sold for $15,000CDN ($14,851 ) making it the world's most expensive six-pack.

Purchaser AOL Canada planned to share the expensive beer with their employees over the holidays while the proceeds will benefit WildAid, an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the illegal wildlife trade.

The WildAid Stella Artois Nobilis collection is comprised of six magnums autographed by film celebrities who generously committed their signatures for the cause. Angelina Jolie, Kate Hudson, Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson, Bo Derek, Ryan Gosling and Samuel L. Jackson
are among those included in the collection.

Launched in November 2007, Stella Artois Nobilis is a delicate, sparkling beer designed to help mark spontaneous celebrations and it is brewed by InBev in Leuven,Belgium. Stella Artois was first brewed in 1926 as a Christmas brew and and InBev now produces over 1 billion liters of Stella Artois annually.

Ménage a Trois – Most Expensive Las Vegas Cocktails

You can order a Ménage a Trois served nightly at Tryst at the 5 Diamond Award-winning Wynn Hotel. This sexy cocktail is creates a perfect threesome using Cristal Rosé, Hennessy Ellipse and Grand Marnier Cent-cinquantenaire.

23-karat gold flakes and liquid gold syrup decorate this decadent cocktail. For $3,000 you can sip this drink through a golden straw studded with a 9-point diamond, yours to keep.

Le Voyage de Delamain – Grande Champagne cognacs

Le Voyage is a blend of Grande Champagne cognacs from the highly respected house of Delamain, nearly 250 years old.

The blend of these cognacs from yesteryear unfolds a kaleidoscope of subtle sensations: all the perfumes of Russian leather, the musky aroma of the tropics, the heady scent of tobacco from the Americas, of coffee from Africa heralding the spicy hints of the Far East and finally the bouquet of grapes from the hillsides of the Grande Champagne.

To ensure that the packing would be treasured, Delamain commissioned French glassmaker Baccarat to design a custom crystal decanter, forged from fire and silica, that would then be encased in a fan-shaped leather luxury gift box, reminiscent of a camera’s bellows.

Most of the 500 bottles sold worldwide have already been purchased or reserved but some are still available on vintagewinegifts priced at £4,000 a bottle.

Walk-In Wine, luxury Cellar Vault

If you’re wealthy enough to have 1500 bottles of good wine lying around, then you probably also have the money to This Walk-In Wine Cellar Vault at Bar Cigars & Brew, which provides safe and secure storage of your wine in a computer climate controlled environment.

Featuring a brushed aluminum exterior, the inside can holds approximately 1,500 bottles. It targets the sophisticated collector without the burdens and complications arising from creating a custom cellar.

The wine vault has a computer panel inventory system to help you keep track of your precious bottle, Wine Mate cooling system for optimal temperature & humidity, redwood racks , decanting table with diamond storage bins, hanging rack for stem wine glasses, and glass windows & door.

Each unit is hand built to order. This huge Walk-In Wine Cellar Vault costs $27,995 and probably about the same again to fill it.

Absolut launches sparkly gift pack

Maxxium Global Travel Retail is to launch a new seasonal gift pack for Absolut vodka in September 2008.

The one-litre pack is made from shiny red spangles, complete with a zipper in the back. On opening the pack, the zipper slides apart, revealing the bottle. The pack is made from 3,238 shiny red sequins, while the label states: "In an Absolut world every night is a masquerade."

“We are more than confident that the new design will be at least as much appreciated as its ground-breaking predecessors, Absolut Bling Bling and Absolut Disco. said Director of V&S Absolut Spirits Global Travel & Retail Anders Olsson

The shiny red packaging was developed with design agency Family Business.

Via moodiereport

Most expensive Scotch - The Macallan 1926

In 2005 a South Korean businessman paid 70 million Korean won ($75,000) for a 1926 bottle from The Macallan’s "Fine and Rare" range. “The actual purchase took place at the liquor retail store, Interbang, in the upmarket Gangnam area of Seoul," according to a statement from Macallan.
The bottle spent 60 years in wood barrel and was bottled in 1986.

Ardbeg Double Barrel

UK. Ardbeg, the Scotch whisky brand has unveiled a limited-edition release of the Ardbeg Double Barrel.

Inspired by the tradition of the shooting party, the Ardbeg Double Barrel features a hand-stitched bridle leather case made to the same dimensions as a double-barrel gun case; each contains two bottles from different single casks of 1974 Ardbeg Scotch and eight sterling silver drinking cups.

Besides the two single cask bottles and silver drinking cups, the case also contains a bespoke oak and sterling silver Omas pen. Each pen is engraved with the Ardbeg ‘A’ on the silver barrel and the Ardbeg knotwork on the clip. The pen’s outer barrel is made of mature oak.

Only 250 cases are available, two of which are being premiered at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, courtesy of Moët Hennessy Asia Pacific. Each case retails at US$23,190.

Via moodiereport

Veuve Clicquot : Concept Night-Clubber

Baptiste Mathieu, a French design student has designed this concept called Veuve Clicquot Night Clubber at the occasion of the talent show "Les espoirs de la création 2008"

It consists of a luminous glass and a bottle that allows every consumer to experience the festive opening of its bottle. The champagne bottle features double cap for blocking the stopper.
The leather trim imparts the luxury feel and polished aluminium treatment is also given to accentuate the design. The package also features LED embedded in the metallic part of the glass. And, leather that surrounds the glass is punctured by a multitude of holes, champagne will be informed and be reflected through these holes to give a dimension to the preciousness of the champagne.

The product is still in concept stage but the price is valued at approximately $400.

Related article : Veuve Clicquot Globalight

Via Bornrich / tendancehightech

Armand de Brignac Family of Champagne

The much venerated champagne house Armand de Brignac has two new champagnes to add to its flagship cuvée, the Brut Gold. Currently maturing in the cellars, the first is a pink champagne, the Armand de Brignac Rosé, which comes in a pink-gold bottle with matching adornments.

The second is the Armand de Brignac Blanc de Blancs, which is pressed from a selection of white Chardonnay, contained in an antique silver bottle with matching silver labels.

Armand de Brignac’s champagne hails from a blend of three grape varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, harvested from the “Premier Cru” vineyards of the Carrier family in Chigny-les-Roses, a tiny village in the Champagne region of France.

Find our more on goldarths

Belfast hotel serves up the world's most expensive cocktail

The price of a round of drinks may be getting ever more expensive nowadays, but it's a snip compared with what is on offer at Belfast's Merchant Hotel. At £750, an original Trader Vic's Mai Tai isn't within everyone's budget, but its hefty price tag has been enough to secure it the official title of the world's most expensive cocktail. [...]

The Merchant owns one of only six bottles in existence of 17-year-old Wray and Nephew Rum, which was used by trader Vic Bergeron to create the original Mai Tai over 60 years ago. "Nobody else in the world can do this cocktail, we're the only bar," explained the Merchant's Bar and Potation Manager Sean Muldoon. And although the 750ml bottle itself may look rather nondescript, it is worth a whopping £26,000. "Due to the popularity of the Mai Tai when it was invented in 1944 the 17-year-old rum was used up and wasn't made any more," said Mr Muldoon. [...]

However, a special batch of the 17-year-old rum was created recently, ostensibly for private gifts, but one of these was acquired by the Merchant. [...] "When this bottle goes we will never be able to get another one," said Mr Muldoon. For more information on the Merchant Hotel visit themerchanthotel.com

Via belfasttelegraph

4 million yen cognac

Asahi Beer, which holds the rights to distribute French cognac Remy Martin in Japan, has announced that 30 bottles of Remy Martin’s premium champagne cognac Louis 13th Black Pearl Magnum will be released in Japan from this month. 358 bottles will be released globally.

The precious liquid, which comes in an original Baccarat crystal holder, will be available at select department stores for an astounding ¥4,000,000 (or about $38,000) for a 1,500ml bottle.

They expect the Louis 13th Black Pearl Magnum to be swallowed up in the high-end nightlife establishments in Tokyo’s Ginza and Kyoto’s Gion at an even more exorbitant 50% mark-up.

Via kilian-nakamura

Most Expensive Beer

Samuel Adams has come out with not only the most expensive beer on the planet, but the strongest beer listed by Guinness Records. Samuel Adams/Boston Beer Company’s Utopias is said to be the world’s strongest and most expensive beer at $100 per bottle.

The beer is brewed with a blend of high-quality hops and sold in an ornate copper-plated brew kettle and offers a flavor unlike any other expensive beer or beverage in the world. The sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. The world’s most expensive beer is non-carbonated and should be served at room temperature.

The production of the most expensive beer was limited to 8,000 bottles.

Via most-expensive

Record $500,000 paid for 27 bottles of red wine

One Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine, London-based Antique Wine Company said on Saturday.

The anonymous Chinese entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine and considered to be among the world's most exclusive with only 450 cases produced each year.[...]

"It is the highest price that has ever been achieved for a single lot," Managing Director Stephen Williams of the London- based Antique Wine Company told Reuters on Saturday.
"I don't think he has bought this as an investment -- he has bought it to drink," he added. "The fine wine industry is completely immune from the global credit crunch."

The client's biggest previous purchase was 30,000 pounds ($59,880) for a case of 1982 Chateau Petrus.

Williams believes the Romanee Conti sale marks a significant change in Chinese wine buying habits. "In the past, the Chinese have been drawn to the magnificent but simplistic qualities of the wines from the great chateaux of Bordeaux.

"Now, our leap in sales of Domaine de la Romanee Conti to mainland China this year in particular is indicating a broadening of their fine wine education and appreciation to the more complex wines of Burgundy."[...]

Malcolm Forbes, the late publisher of Forbes' magazine, set a record in December 1985 when he paid 105,000 pounds, then about $162,750, for a 1787 bottle of red wine made by Bordeaux's prestigious Chateau Lafitte.

In 2006 the Antique Wine Company sold the world's most expensive bottle of white wine, a regular-sized bottle of Chateau d'Yquem 1787 for just under $100,000.

Via Reuters

Tableside Ice Picking With the Jagger Dagger

Belvedere vodka has been doing a lot of promotion lately to build their brand. The latest is the Jagger Dagger, a sword designed by Jade Jagger, Mick's daughter and creative director at Garrard. The sword has an 18K white gold studded hilt with 12 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds, 42 pale sapphires, and a central blue lapis lazuli square.

The blade is created from mirror-polished carbon steel with an engraving of the same tree branches that decorate the Belvedere bottle. The "Jagger Dagger" will be part of an tableside ice-picking service with the sword provided by servers at certain nightclubs such as 1OAK in New York, Crystal in London, and VIP in Paris. Each dagger has a retail value exceeding $250,000. A range of daggers in the same style but with white topaz in lieu of diamonds and aquamarine instead of sapphires will sell for $10,000 at certain retailers.

Via Luxist

$54,000 Champagne Trunk for Elite Travelers

Harrods’luxury Krug Trunk is meant for true aficionados constantly on move. The champagne trunk is just perfect for carrying your bubbly with you!

The luxury trunk is corrosion-proof and features a classic red calfskin interior with three bottles of Krug Grande Cuvee champagne and an ice-bucket designed by Francois Bauchet. Besides storing your coveted champagne the trunk’s lid also serves as a table to come in handy on your outdoor trips.

The well-crafted champagne crate is available in limited edition of 30 pieces only with a price tag that’s as ornate as it is for $54,000.

Via Bornrich

Most Expensive Cognac - Henri IV, Cognac Grande Champagne for $2 million

Dubbed as the DNA of Cognac, Henri IV Dudognon Heritage is presented in an exquisite bottle.

Produced since 1776 it is aged in barrels for more than 100 years. Exorbitantly priced at 1 Million Pounds Sterling, the liquor is bottled in a bottle dipped in 24 K Yellow Gold & Sterling Platinum and decorated with 6,500 certified brilliant cut diamonds. With an approximate weight of 8 Kilograms, it is filled with 100 cl. of Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne that contains an alcohol content of 41%.

This jewelled packing was master crafted by the well known jeweller Jose Davalos.

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Champagne cork

The folks at Wine Spectator's Unfiltered column didn't love it but I think the champagne cork and cage set from Michael Chiarello's home furnishings company Napa Style is kind of kicky.

The cork stool in bright orange is not made of cork but of polyethylene and the stool is made of chromed steel. The fun part is that the two pieces can function as one unit or a separate stool and a table. It costs $448 for the set.

Source : napastyle