Prestigious whiskies, wines and other collectible drinks can make for killer investments, frequently outpacing the stock market, property, luxury cars, and more. From exquisite claret and cult beer, to the Scotch that sold for over $1 million (£769k) last month, here are 30 beverages that have soared in value.

This bold Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon had a price tag of $28 (£22) when it first went on sale in the late 1990s. Since then, the vintage has appreciated handsomely, and bottles now go for $105 (£81).

Fonseca's luscious 1992 port retailed for around $35 (£27) in the mid-1990s. It has almost quadrupled in price since. These days, fortified wine diehards don't think twice about paying $130 (£100) or more for a bottle.

A sublime Bordeaux, Château Lagrange Saint-Julien is reasonably affordable on release, but appreciates in price like a more expensive wine. Bottles from the incredible 1990 vintage for example cost just $26 (£21) on release and are now worth $150 (£116) and rising.

If you were lucky enough to have picked up a bottle of 1994 Beringer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve back in the mid 1990s, and have resisted the temptation to open it, you'll be delighted to discover your $45 (£35) investment has mushroomed into $170 (£131).

A bottle of 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine costs $170 (£131) on average these days. When it was released in 2000 however, the wine was priced at just $25 (£20) a bottle.

This Northern Rhône Syrah was critically acclaimed upon its release in the late 1990s when a bottle could be bagged for around $35 (£27). Today, bottles of the rich, robust wine sell for $180 (£139) on average.

Another delicious Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this 1989 vintage from the illustrious Château de Beaucastel vineyard retailed for around $35 (£27) on its release. Nowadays, connoisseurs of the grape pay $230 (£177) for a bottle.

When this velvety claret from Château Mouton Rothschild was released, a bottle would have set you back around $80 (£63). The 2011 vintage turned out to be exceptional, and nowadays collectors will shell out $260 (£200) or more for a bottle.

The 2004 vintage from Napa's Dominus Estate, which is overseen by Château Pétrus winemaker Christian Moueix, is another highly sought-after red that has shot up in price in recent years. A bottle these days is worth up to $300 (£236), a decent return on the original retail price of $113 (£88).

The ubiquitous Moët Imperial is one of the world's most popular champagnes, and chances are you may have a bottle stashed away, hopefully from the 1990s – the standard bottle from 1996 that would have cost around $30 (£24) at the time is now worth up to $300 (£236).

Likewise, Krug champers from the 1990s has skyrocketed in price, particularly the 1990 vintage, which many experts rate as one of the finest in the past 30 years. A bottle that would have retailed at $100 (£77) or so back in the day is now worth $650 (£500).

Shrewd collectors who snapped up the outstanding 1995 Château Margaux vintage at the release price of $120 (£93) per bottle are in the money these days. Bottles typically sell for $650 (£500), and sometimes more.

You might want to check your cellar or loft for old bottles of bourbon. A pair of Jefferson's Presidential Select 18-year-old whiskey bottles from 1991 fetched $1,593 (£1.2k) at a Christie's auction in 2016.

This silky-smooth Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru has been one of the best performing wines of the 2010s and then some, appreciating in value by more than 200% during the past five years. Here's hoping you have a bottle or two gathering dust somewhere.

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Absolut is famed for its limited-edition bottles and the rarer examples are worth big bucks. Bottles featuring the Freestyle design, a limited edition of 10,000 released only in France in 2004, are among the most valuable, and even empty specimens fetch respectable prices.

The very first vintage of this quirky Californian wine, which boasts a seductive shot of Marilyn Monroe on the label, cost peanuts in the 1980s but is as rare as hen's teeth these days. Bottles are priced at $3,800 (£2.9k) on the Marilyn Wines site, but they typically go for around $1,000 (£773) on the open market.

Another valuable bottle of bourbon, The Whisky Exchange is selling a 1940s bottle of Early Times Kentucky bourbon for $1,300 (£1k). Pre-Prohibition bourbon bottles, both unopened and empty, command even higher prices.

Considered by many wine connoisseurs to be one the finest Chablis vintages, the heavenly Domaine François Raveneau Grand Cru from 1990 goes for upwards of $1,500 (£1.2k) a bottle at auction.

Leftover wedding bubbly can be very lucrative indeed. In 1989, Christie's appraiser Noah May discovered a case of unopened 1959 Krug in a cellar in Wales owned by a woman whose husband had recently died. The case, which was left over from the couple's nuptials, went on to realise $19,200 (£15k) at auction.

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The world's most sought-after beer, the limited-edition Dave barleywine beer, which is produced in minute quantities by the Hair of the Dog Brewery in Portland, Oregon, fetches up to $2,300 (£1.8k) a bottle. If you happened to have bought one in the 2000s for the then RRP of $80 (£63), you're in the money.

This magnificent Martell cognac was produced to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. A regal blend of the 1815, 1906, 1914 and 1918 vintages, the special edition is a collector's favourite and bottles sell for around $2,500 (£1.9k).

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti aka DRC is regarded as one of the world's most prestigious wine producers, and its most desirable vintages sell for eye-popping prices. Collectors will easily fork out around $5,000 (£3.9k) to get their hands on a bottle of 1985 Richebourg Grand Cru for instance.

Wine critics have described the legendary 1961 Latour vintage as “awe-inspiring” and “beautifully balanced”. Needless to say, a bottle of the breathtaking Bordeaux is worth around $5,200 (£4k) these days.

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This Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé would have pride of place in the wine hall of fame if such a thing existed. Standard bottles of the 1947 classic go for up to $9,300 (£7.3k), though an imperial six-litre bottle sold at auction in 2010 for $305,000 (£240k).

A case of 1961 Château Pétrus went under the hammer for $144,000 (£111k) in 2011 at a Christie's sale in New York, smashing the record for most expensive case of Château Pétrus ever sold at auction.

This revered burgundy is among the crème de la crème and bottles of the coveted beverage command eye-watering prices. Right now, a 1990 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru is listed on CellaRaiders for $17,495 (£13.7k).

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Australia's most expensive wine, Penfolds produced 1,800 bottles of its prized vintage in 1951 but only 20 are thought to still exist. In 2004, a collector parted with a record-breaking $38,420 (£30k) to get hold of one.

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Vintage bottles of J. Wray and Nephew's famous Jamaican white rum are exceedingly scarce and fetch super-high prices at auction. The most expensive ever sold, a beyond rare 1949 vintage, went for $54,000 (£42k).

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Last month, a bottle of 1945 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru broke the world record for the most expensive wine sold at auction when it realised $558,000 (£437k) at a Sotheby's sale in New York. Just 600 bottles of the fabled 1945 vintage were released.

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The holy grail of malts, a mere 40 bottles of Macallan's legendary 1926 distillation were produced back in 1986. A bottle featuring a design by Italian artist Valerio Adami was sold by Bonhams for $1.1 million (£849k) last month, making it the most expensive whisky ever auctioned.

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