'The world's most expensive tequila' - Photo By CR Files
"Ten years ago, the idea was hatched to distill the finest, most expensive tequila in the world," said Altamirano, CEO of Tequila Ley .925, adding that for an encore, he planned on releasing a million-dollar bottle of Mexico's famed firewater.
An unidentified U.S. wine and spirits collector has already purchased the first bottle of the expensive spirit. The platinum container took five months to create.
Although a drink often associated with macho revolutionaries and drunken spring-break revelers, tequila has moved upscale in recent years, commanding stiff prices from discerning connoisseurs, who sip the fiery spirit like they would a fine scotch whisky or cognac. Sales of premium tequila grew by 29 percent in 2004, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Altamirano's company makes its beverages at the Hacienda La Capilla distillery in Capilla de Guadalupe, Jalisco, but exports much of the production. (He cited Las Vegas as his best market.)
In addition to the solid-platinum bottles, Tequila Ley .925 also comes in less expensive 150,000-dollar bottles made from yellow gold and platinum. For thrifty imbibers, Altamirano offers a 15,000-dollar gold and silver container. In each category, he commissioned 33 bottles.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists a 50-year-old bottle of Glenfiddich single-malt scotch that sold for nearly 80,000 dollars as the world's most expensive liquor. Tequila Ley .925's product has yet to be officially declared the new record holder.
To celebrate Tequila Ley .925's tenth anniversary in 2007, Altamirano expects to auction a platinum and gold bottle studded with diamonds for around one million dollars - ultra-premium tequila included.