Expert: Paul Wagner - 4/7/2009

Question
I have a bottle of Old Havana Apricot Brandy manufactured by Ramon Del collado & Co, P.O. Box 907-Havana.  I am trying to find out how old it is and if it has any monetary value.

Answer
Hi Kim

WIthout looking at the label, I am going to have to guess on this one, but given that it comes from Cuba and is in English, it might well date from the pre-Castro era of Cuba--before 1959.  

But it doesn't really matter how old it is.  Distilled spirits like this are so high in alcohol that they don't change much at all over time---and they don't really appreciate in value.  I would estimate the value of this one at about $25 or so.

But the bottle itself might be of interest to collectors.  Check with the guys at antiquebottles.com to see if they have any info on these.  They are very helpful and know more about bottles than I do--I just know about the contents!

Paul Wagner