Hermitage bottles ‘world’s oldest’ Cognac

Priced at £24,900 (U$31,693), Hermitage Cognac has released a 100-year-old expression, with only 68 one-litre decanters available.

The Cognac is named Siècle D’Or, after France’s Golden Century – the period of the reign of Louis XIV. The Cognac was made with Ugni Blanc grapes cultivated in the Liginères Sonneville region, in the heart of Grande Champagne. It was distilled in Segonzac using traditional copper alembic Charentais stills, and bottled at 40.5% ABV. David Baker, Hermitage’s founder, said: “I am delighted to offer this priceless masterpiece of Cognac history to the global market. Provenance and time are the very essence of this 100-year-old Cognac and I hope those who purchase it will indulge in one of the finest luxury spirits on the market. “It is one of only a very small quantity of Cognac aged in cellars in the heart of the premier cru of Cognac known as Grande Champagne. Untouched and unblended, this vintage Cognac has aged for 100 years in Limousin oak barrels. This exceptionally long ageing period has created a wide complexity of rich flavours and aromas, common only with the finest and oldest Cognacs. “The balance and depth of flavour is a masterpiece of smoothness and quality. Flavours of cocoa, burnt toffee, mushroom, ginger, candied fruit and kumquat are all wrapped up in an intensely rich rancio found only in the rarest of Cognacs.” The expression is bottled in a handcrafted Cumbrian Crystal decanter, with each engraved with gold leaf and numbered individually. Each decanter takes around two weeks to craft and is presented in a wooden box, which includes a letter from Baker.