Beverages are all about personal taste; so the idea of one being the best is, well, ridiculous. There are bound to be opinions and that is what makes tastings interesting, even if it makes buying superlatively hard for the novice. So people decided to use price as a measure of quality, for nothing argues with cold, hard cash.
The belief goes that if an exorbitantly priced product manages to sell, then clearly its demand exceeds its supply even at that elevated price point. Thus, price can be taken to be a safe reflection of product quality, one that people recognise and are willing to pay top dollar for.
Using this principle, we can find the best in every category. Simply look at the selling price and find the most expensive under each section. Sounds too simple to be true (or effective) — to simply define quality as being proportional to selling price — but Napoleon did it back in 1855 for the region of Bordeaux and the hierarchy holds even today!
So, here is a list of products that I have had the privilege of tasting and what I thought of them.
Chateau Haut-Brion: This is a wine that was an absolute class act. It is one of the classified 5 top level wines from Left Bank Bordeaux, but each time I’ve had the privilege to try them together, I keep going back to this. Most Grand Cru would be more or less similarly priced and yet, should the day arrive that I can afford one bottle without having to take out a second mortgage on my house, this will be the one I opt for.
Romanée-Conti: Call me inept, but although I think that this is a terribly marvellous wine, I don't think I find it worth the money they generally ask for it. I much prefer the not-too-far appellation of Grands Échezeaux which, although regarded highly as well, isn't as premium. But the wines from here show a certain fruity freshness which I found lacking in the more lauded wine. This difference, for me, was most prominent when trying both wines from the same winemaker.
Chateau d’Yquem: Yet another disappointment of a style, for in blind dessert wine tastings, I have consistently shown preference for other Chateaux from the region, which are as famous but not as expensive. Now it is one thing to know the prices beforehand and to then taste something (if expensive, you will always find it good) but an entirely different thing to not prefer it in a blind tasting.
Penfolds Grange: This Australian Heritage icon is worth every dollar spent hunting it down. It drinks like a dream when young and can age for decades. If you must try one of the world’s best wines, this can be a great place to start.
Harlan Estate: The top American house is not my favourite for the simple reason that it packs quite a wallop, one that leaves me more shocked than stunned. The Ridge vineyards in Monte Bello, again, although not as expensive, are far gentler and more elegant.
Remy Martin Rare Cask 42.6 Cognac: This is what you call a ‘Mother’s Milk’ of a spirit. Older than the modern world itself, and made from just one barrel, this is as rare and as precious as cognac will ever get. The Rare Cask is a product of alchemy that you want on your lips as you breathe your last, for it will possibly endow you with immortality. But you need to drink a lot of VS and VSOP (even XO) before you can truly appreciate the width and depth of flavours in this elixir.
Single Malt: With whiskies, it is hard to ascertain which one is the best, for not just price, but even the number of years that a whisky is aged, need to be considered. Generally, malt from a small distillery, which has been aged for 40 years or more, will qualify it to be a fine and rare dram. My favourites in the category come from Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Ageing a whisky for four decades can change the DNA of the product, and each sip will be a sweet-fire with spices, leather, honey, and tobacco, all seamlessly ebbing and flowing on the palate.
The lesson for the day is that you can go and put the most expensive drink out there on your table, but if you haven't worked your way up, you may not entirely appreciate it. You need to do your time, learn the ropes, and the only way to do it is by tasting a lot of average, and sometimes even some of the spoilt stuff. Then, when you finally graduate and arrive at these landmark tasting milestones, you will get your money’s worth.
Even the princess had to kiss many frogs to find her prince; only fair that the appreciation of what can be regarded as the most expensive wine, whisky, or cognac comes not through affordability but by filtering said product through your acquired experience of ages.
