Buyer spends $75G on bottle of champagne

• Tweet

LONDON, April 17 (UPI) -- A buyer believed to be a Russian tycoon spent $75,000 including tip on a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne at a London bar.

The purchase is believed to set a new record for a wine sale in Britain, The Daily Telegraph reported. The buyer plunked down 35,000 pounds (more than $50,000) for the methuselah of 1996 Rose Gold and added a tip of more than $15,000 on top of the service charge.

The upscale transaction took place at the Westbury Hotel on Tuesday at a party following a screening of a new movie, "Boogie Woogie."

The bottle was admittedly a large one, enough to treat several friends. A methuselah, named, like many of the larger wine bottles, after a Biblical character, holds 6 liters or 1.59 gallons of bubbly. The bottle, dipped in rose gold, is also worth more than the wine inside, even though the Dom Perignon 1996 Rose Gold is one of the most prized vintage champagnes.

''The 1996 vintage is regarded as one of the finest in the 20th-Century and with only 35 bottles produced per year, it's incredibly rare and sought-after," said Elias Yiallouri, the bar manager, who refused to identify the customer.

Some witnesses said the buyer spilled three glasses of the prized wine almost immediately.