On November 9, 2016 Cognac Croizet and InterContinental Hong Kong marked a Guinness World Record for the “Most Expensive Shot of Cognac” with Croizet Cognac “Cuvée Leonie” 1858 sold by the shot for the first time at InterContinental Hong Kong for a record-breaking HK$68,000 (US$8,763) . The buyer, Mr. Jason Wong (Huang Guofeng), Chairman of Eyarn Lighting Ltd. in Foshan City, Guangdong, China toasted to President Elect Donald Trump as the new Guinness World Record was set.  (The previous Guinness World Record for “The Most Expensive Shot of Cognac” can be found here.) Following the November 9th event, the new record will be registered very soon.

InterContinental Hong Kong is donating the HK$68,000 from the sale of “Most Expensive Shot of Cognac” to AIDS Concern in Hong Kong.*

This is the third Guinness World Record for Cognac Croizet. On September 24, 2011 a single bottle of Croizet Cognac “Cuvée Leonie” dating back to the harvest of 1858 was sold at auction in Shanghai, China for 1 million RMB. This cognac is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the most expensive cognac ever sold at auction. This was the cognac which Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower drank on the Eve of D-Day in 1944.

On February 7, 2013 the world's most expensive cocktail, “The Winston”, which was made with 1858 Cuvée Leonie” sold for US$12,500 in Melbourne Australia.

In celebration of these Croizet Guinness World Records, InterContinental Hong Kong is proud to be the exclusive venue globally to offer Croizet Cognac “Cuvée Leonie” 1858 by the shot and the only Hong Kong hotel to offer “Cuvée Leonie” 1858 by the bottle. 

During the month of December 2016, the proceeds from the purchase of the 1858 Cuvée Leonie by the shot or “The Winston” (cocktail) will benefit AIDS Concern in Hong Kong with the funds ear-marked for AIDS Concern's local education work with young people and schools. It will pay for teaching materials and also social media campaigns warning young people about the risk of HIV.*

1858 Cuvée Leonie: Per Shot 40ml: HK68,000 / Per Bottle 700ml: HK$1,188,888

This special 155 year old cognac, known as Pre-Phylloxera, was made before the global vine/grape disease which destroyed most vineyards in the 1870s, so the grapes used to make it are unique and now extinct. The vines that harvested these grapes were planted by Julius Caesar's conquering armies in 55BC. Certified by the World's Top Cognac Expert as “Exceptional”, its value is also increasing due to its rarity.

 “The Winston”: Per Cocktail   HK$108,000

60ml Croizet 1858 Cuvée Leonie Cognac, 30ml Grand Marnier, 30ml Chartreuse V.E.P., Dash of Angostura Bitters

Another Guinness World Record, “The Winston”, made by Joel Heffernan, at Club 23 in Melbourne, Australia, is the world's most expensive cocktail.

An Exclusive InterContinental Hong Kong Presidential Suite
Croizet 1858 Cuvée Leonie VVIP Experience Showcasing the best of Hong Kong & the Cognac Region of France
for HK$1,288,888 (US$166,094)

The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star InterContinental Hong Kong is pleased to partner with Cognac Croizet for a VVIP Presidential Suite Cognac Croizet Experience.

In partnership with Cognac Croizet, the ultra-luxe international cognac brand with more than 200 years of history, InterContinental Hong Kong is unveiling a one-of-a-kind experience for guests who want to indulge in the very best of Hong Kong and France.  As the only venue in the world where guests can purchase Cognac Croizet's 1858 Cuvee Leonie, the most world's most expensive cognac, by the shot and also the only hotel in Hong Kong where this historical vintage can be purchased by the bottle, InterContinental Hong Kong presents the ultimate experience for cognac lovers. 

Cognac connoisseurs can book InterContinental Hong Kong's Presidential Suite Croizet VVIP Experience which includes a one night stay for two persons in the hotel's spectacular Presidential Suite, inclusive of their very own bottle of Croizet's rare 1858 Cognac, Cuvée Leonie. Guests may savour this exquisite spirit in comfort of the luxurious Presidential Suite with their 24-hour Presidential Suite butler serving the Cuvée Leonie in the Duplex Living Room or on the suite's private 2,500 square foot rooftop terrace with an infinity swimming pool and Jacuzzi with IMAX views of Victoria Harbour and the Hong Kong Island skyline. The 1-night stay is also inclusive of roundtrip airport transfers by Bentley limousine, a gourmet dinner with a special menu  by one of the hotel's celebrated chefs, with wine-pairing by our sommelier, served on the suite's private terrace or alternatively at one of the hotel's acclaimed restaurants. Breakfast for two in the Presidential Suite or at the exclusive Club InterContinental Lounge is also included.

Before their Presidential stay comes to an end, the guests will be presented with an exclusive invitation for a VVIP Cognac Croizet Experience for up to 4 persons in the Cognac Region of France where Croizet is made. The guests will be whisked to and from Charentes, which is about a 1 ½ hour drive from Bordeaux, by private limousine. Charentes is one of France's best kept secrets with sunny scenery, sandy beaches, pine forests and Romanesque churches overlooking the luminous countryside of cognac vineyards.

The guests will enjoy a one night / two day stay in Cognac for up to four persons. During their stay they will be treated to a VVIP tour of the Cognac Croizet vineyards, the old Cognac Croizet office, museum and cellars where they will be shown the process of making cognac.  This will be followed by a private cognac tasting, where they will learn how to blend a cognac with Cognac Croizet's Cellar Master. They will even get to make their own special blend from their birth year to take home. The first day includes lunch at the exquisite Domaine du Chatelard in Charentes and dinner in a very special local restaurant, where the guests can experience the authentic regional cuisine paired with Croizet Cognac.

The following day after breakfast, the guests will be given a private tour of the Cognac region by the Chateau's driver and guide, inclusive of lunch in Cognac before returning to Bordeaux before dinner time.  By the end of second day, the guests will have an in-depth understanding of the history of Cognac and how it is made and are sure to have fallen in love with the region.

The experience is inclusive of private airport transfers for up to 4 persons and a chauffeur and guide for the duration of their stay at the estate.

This unique offer is limited to only three VVIP InterContinental Hong Kong Presidential Suite Croizet Cognac Experiences in the coming year.

The exclusive InterContinental Hong Kong Presidential Suite Croizet 1858 Cuvée Leonie VVIP Experience is HK$1,288,888 (US$166,094), plus 10% service charge, subject to advance reservation and availability. The Croizet experience in France must be redeemed within six months of the InterContinental Hong Kong Presidential Suite stay and is also subject to advance reservation and availability.

Reservations must be made directly with InterContinental Hong Kong by Tel: +852 2721 1211 /
Fax: +852 2739-4546 / E-mail: hongkong@ihg.com / www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

About InterContinental Hong Kong

The Forbes Travel Guide Five Star InterContinental Hong Kong is prized for its spectacular harbourview, luxurious accommodation and world-class restaurants, including the 2-Michelin star Yan Toh Heen, 1-Michelin star SPOON by Alain Ducasse and NOBU. Two-thirds of the 503 guest rooms have harbourviews. The 7,000 square foot. 5-bedroom Presidential Suite is the largest suite in Hong Kong and one of the most spectacular in all of Asia. Located on the edge of Victoria Harbour in Kowloon, the hotel offers a unique vantage point, with all of Hong Kong literally at your doorstep.

InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com / www.intercontinental.com

About Cognac Croizet

Cognac Croizet is an international award-winning House with a history of over 200 years. It was licensed by Napoleon in 1805.  It is one of only three houses that produce Single Vintages, after the ban in 1963.  Cognacs are often blended, but there is nothing more authentic and unique than a Single Vintage Cognac. Only in an exceptional year will Croizet's cellar master set aside a few casks of Grande Champagne cognac to be aged this way. Croizet is the only company that labels its bottles with a Single Vintage label. The label design dates back to the 1840s. It controls every step in production using traditional distilling methods.

Throughout history, it has been appreciated by the elite, from Russian Tsars to Winston Churchill and General Dwight D.  Eisenhower. Cognac Croizet was served on the Titanic in 1912 on its fateful maiden voyage. 

Cognac Croizet Cuvée Léonie from the 1858 harvest

Cognac Croizet presents Cuvée Léonie with a certification and promise from Croizet that each bottle contains a cognac that is more than 158 years old. Only a few bottles of this rare pre-phylloxera cognac from the single harvest of 1858 exist for sale. It is a rare treasure and the jewel in the Crown of Croizet which is kept under lock and key in the House Paradise Cellar.

Those who have tasted the precious cognac say that on the palate Cuvée Léonie remains full of vigor with exceptional length, which is rare for a cognac so old. On the nose, there are notes of dry roses and poppies, fruity notes of coconut, passion flower and quince, and woody notes of sandalwood and cedar. In the empty glass, hints of balsamic and nutmeg remain.

www.croizet.hk / www.facebook.com/cognaccroizet.france
www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/6000/most-expensive-cognac
www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/4000/most-expensive-cocktail

About AIDS Concern in Hong Kong

AIDS Concern was established in 1990 as the first non-government charity organisation committed to the service of AIDS care in Hong Kong. The team at AIDS Concern strongly believes that the key to effectively stop the spread of HIV/AIDS is establishing close communication with communities most vulnerable to transmission and exposure. Its vision is to see Hong Kong with ZERO new HIV infections, ZERO stigma for people living with HIV and ZERO AIDS deaths. TRIPLE ZERO.

*The funds donated by InterContinental Hong Kong from the Guinness World's Record event and from the proceeds of Croizet cognac shots and “Winston” Cocktails in December will be ear-marked for AIDS Concern's local education work with young people and schools. It will pay for teaching materials and also social media campaigns warning young people about the risk of HIV.

www.aidsconcern.org.hk / Facebook: www.facebook.com/AIDSConcern
e-Donation: http://aidsconcern.org.hk/edonation.html

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For further press information, please contact:

Carole L Klein, Executive Director of PR & Communications
InterContinental Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2313-2335 / Fax: (852) 2721-5964   / E-mail: carole.klein@ihg.com          

Jason Gillott, President of International Marketing
CROIZET HK Ltd.
Tel: (852) 2637-7714 /Fax: (852) 3167-1672 / Mobile: (852) 9745-7709 / E-mail: jason@croizet.hk