Twelve bottles of the oldest rum ever auctioned have sold for a combined £83,250 ($135,476) at Christie's in London.
The bottles, produced by slaves in Barbados in 1780 and only discovered in a Leeds, UK cellar in 2011, beat their £12,000 ($19,630) estimate by 593.8% at the wines and spirits auction on December 12.
 At more than 200 years old, the rum is almost certainly past its best |
The dark rum was marginally the more appealing to buyers, with bottles selling for £8,500 ($13,966) to £8,750 ($14,376), while the light offerings made between £5,000 ($8,215) and £5,250 ($8,826).
Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Geraldine Connor Foundation, which assists young people in the performing arts.
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