THE FATHER BLOG

I mentioned a week or so ago that I had the pleasure once (and only once) of sampling a $500 bottle of wine. I have also been fortunate enough to have sampled some Pappy Van Winkle that a good friend of mine was willing to share. I’ve definitely been lucky to taste some of the top end beverages that are somewhat available to “normal” individuals like myself. It made me curious as to what the most expensive bottle of booze is right now. Below is what I found…and though it’s more for the diamonds on the bottle (and exclusivity because there are only 2 bottles out there in the world), I’m quite sure somebody’s Nonna probably makes a limoncello that would rival the taste of this 44 million dollar bottle…granny just needs to adorn the bottle with a lot of expensive gems to get the price tag up!

D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme
Surprise, surprise — the most expensive bottle of liquor ever sold is a limoncello. There are only two known bottles of D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme, and their estimated worth is in the $44 million range. You read that right. $44 million with an M. While the limoncello contained within is, no doubt, fabulous, it’s the stunning diamonds adorning the bottle that account for its off-the-charts price tag. There are three 13-carat diamonds around the bottle’s neck. And on the body? An 18.5-carat diamond. 

Combine that with the absolute rarity of this particular bottle of Italian liquor, and you have a record breaker with a price that’s as pucker-inducing as the sweet citrus liqueur it contains. How does it taste? Nobody really knows since the owners of the bottles remain unnamed — one commissioned a single bottle, and D’Amalfi created the second, whose whereabouts are unknown. 

Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/1846561/most-expensive-liquors-to-drink/

As we begin another week of stock market ups and downs, there are two points I want to make.

Point 1: Max out your company 401K match and then exceed it. Hopefully you work for a half decent company that at least matches from 3-5%…or some fraction in between. Also, when we all hopefully get the pittance of a raise/merit increase of 2-3% each year (which doesn’t even keep up with inflation), those changes usually fall into effect sometime by the March paycheck. So you get a few extra bucks each pay period. Would you really miss it if it wasn’t there? Some may say…Absolutely…I live pay check to pay check. If you don’t….then drop that extra 2-3% in your 401K or Roth IRA account. Those savings will build and there are obviously tax benefits as well.

Point 2: When I look at the ups and downs of the stock market since the beginning of the year, my portfolio looks like the roller coaster you would expect. Most of my stocks purchases are ETFs and though the fluctuate, they haven’t been crushed….and I still reap the dividends each month or quarter. Pretty much every stock I own has gone up and down several times since the start of 2025…except one.

I’m no expert…and all this “advice” is simply food for thought and to hopefully push you to educate yourself further regarding your finances. But let’s just say regardless of the fluctuations/tariffs/ etc….people have not backed off tobacco products. Altria group (MO) has risen almost 16% since the beginning of the year and pays an annual dividend of 6.73%. And at around $60 a share, it’s not like purchasing some of the huge stocks that hover at or well above $200 a share.

Educate yourself and invest! Happy Monday all!

Last weekend Emily and I decided to find a little 5 mile hike to take Delaney on since she loves being outdoors as much as possible. The trail was over in Pennsylvania and while a little overgrown, it was still a nice trail with some rocks and fallen trees to go over and some other small obstacles that made it fun for Delaney.

When we were done, Delaney was tired as usual and napped on the way home. After getting home however, she was ready to run around a bit more and that’s when the ticks started coming off of her in bunches! On the couch, the rug, jumping from her to Deke….

So furniture cushions outside, carpets vacuumed, dogs brushed and bathed…the full on “fire drill” as my wife calls it. I washed a tick off myself in the shower later that day and my wife (who wasn’t even hiking with us) had one come out of her hair the next day. It kind of sucks that there is limited places to go “hiking” in and around the NJ and Eastern PA area where ticks aren’t a major problem.

I don’t worry so much about the pups because they take their monthly medicine for just such incidences. I just don’t like the idea of ticks in the house and on and around the human family members!

If anyone around this area has any decent hikes where they find ticks aren’t an issue….let me know!

Have a great weekend!

Here’s a picture from the hike of the “sisters”.