An 1858 Cognac Croizet has broken the world record for a cognac in its original bottle, at an auction in China.
The Cuvée Léonie, named after famed cognac producer Léon Croizet's daughter, sold for $156,740 to a Hong Kong woman at a Shanghai auction over the weekend.
The previous record stood at $34,000 for a bottle of 1788 Vieux Cognac, sold in France in 2009.
The Cuvée Léonie bottle was employed as part of the wedding dowry for Léon Croizet's great-granddaughter in 1892, according to the Shanghai List website.
 Cognac barrels ready for Asian buyers |
It was believed to be the first Cuvée Léonie to ever appear at auction in mainland China, in what the Wall Street Journal states was the first auction to take place in China solely comprising cognac lots.
The sale is evidence of the growing popularity of the liquor in Asia, and the desire for high-end alcoholic beverages in the region as a whole.
Rémy Cointreau recently announced that its cognac sales in Asia grew by 31% between April and June 2011, compared with the same period a year earlier.
Similarly buoyant results for wine and whisky in China have been seen in recent years.
The Wine Spectator Auction Index revealed that takings at Hong Kong wine auctions between April and June grew by 80% on the same period in 2010.
The growing number of aspirational high-net worth individuals in the country is thought to be behind the booming figures.
