Delhi:
Surprised? Well, believe it or not, that is exactly how much a 30ml peg of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl would cost you at the Library Bar at The Leela Palace that opened at Chanakyapuri in the Capital on Monday. Add taxes to that and the amount goes up even further.
"The pricing is in line with the market. We are targeting the niche clientele, people who value that kind of taste," say sources at The Leela Palace. A bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl costs 14.5 lakhs.
According to hotel sources, this is the only bottle of the cognac available in India and there are a handful 50 cases all over the world. Hotel sources claim this is the first time a bottle of Black Pearl has come to Asia.
The Black Pearl is a limited edition cognac from R ©my Martin's stock of Louis XIII. Only one tiercon (a type of oak barrel) has been used, meaning only 786 bottles are available for purchase. The custom decanter hand-crafted by artisans at Baccarat, is black crystal with platinum accents. The Louis XIII cognac inside contains a blend of more than 1,200 lots up to 100-years-old.
The hotel claims this to be the most expensive alcoholic beverage anywhere in India. Indeed, other star-rated properties in the Capital do not even come within fighting distance of the price. Shangri-La sells a bottle of Chateau Petrus (a red wine) for Rs 1.75 lakhs plus taxes. "It is quite popular with our guests and sells pretty well," claimed the hotel spokesperson.
Will Delhi be up for such deep-pocketed luxuries? "Well, if I had a rich man taking me out for dinner then why not," says socialite and restaurateur Ramola Bachchan, laughing. "But the hotel obviously believes that the market can support it. And I don't think they are very far off the mark. People in Delhi can sure afford it," adds Bachchan.
In June 2010, a Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl 1.5l bottle was sold to a Chinese couple at Vancouver International Airport for $34,000. Apparently this bottle was one of the last available in the world.
So if you are game for it, Chanakyapuri is where you should head.