Centuries-old Cognac sells for a fortune
One of the world's oldest bottles of Cognac has been sold for almost $A200,000, setting a record auction price for the French brandy.
One of the world's oldest bottles of Cognac has been sold for £118,580 ($A196,000).
The spirit, which dates from 1762, has been stored in a family cellar for the last 140 years.
The bottle is wrapped with an incomprehensible label, which dates from 1762, and has been stored in a family cellar for the last 140 years. AAP
It is one of only of only three bottles of the rare Gautier Cognac that exists today, according to the Sotheby's auction house.
The two smaller bottles were kept in the Gautier Museum, France, and sold at auction in New York in 2014 for around £48,000 ($A89,000).
The bottle was bought by a private collector in Asia in an online sale and has set a record for the most expensive bottle of Cognac sold at auction, according to Sotheby's.
The auction house's spirits specialist Jonny Fowle said the 258-year-old Cognac should still taste good and will have "maintained its character".
One of the world's oldest bottles of Cognac has been sold for £118,580 ($A196,000). AAP
The auctioned bottle was opened in 2014 "but I've not been lucky enough to taste it," he said.
"By all accounts it was enjoyed.
"(The) condition of the bottle is really good - there's not been that much evaporation.
"We can assume the alcohol level in it is pretty high and that would have acted as a preservative for hundreds of years."
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