Each year on June 4th, brandy lovers and distillers celebrate Cognac Day. If you have ever had the pleasure of sipping on a Sidecar or Sazerac, then you have tasted the pure, flavorful essence of cognac. Yet, all Cognac snobs will agree that unless you have sipped on a glass of just straight cognac, you have probably never experienced the luxurious flavours of an expensive bottle.
A staple for the world’s rich and famous, Cognac is known for its rarity as much as for its hefty price tags.
The most expensive is Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne costing $2 million. It has been produced since 1776 by the direct descendants of the King and it ages in barrel for more than 100 years The bottle is decorated in 24-carat gold and covered with 6.500 diamonds.
The question is who will drink such a bottle? And most of all will they be able to enjoy it considering the value of each single drop?
Well, let’s start off by explaining what cognac is.
Cognac is a variety of Brandy and comes mainly from the Charente department, where the city of Cognac is. The calcareous soils of the grape-growing area make the wines not so pleasant because of the lively acidity. Because of a stroke of luck in the 17th century, the producers discovered that distilling their simple white wines they obtained liqueurs of extraordinary finesse.
While you might need to contact your bank manager for a new credit card before purchasing one, these three Cognacs are sure to make you feel like a billionaire, even if it’s just for a day.
Henri IV Dudognon Heritage
Kicking off our top 3 is this heritage cognac that costs an enormous $2 Million. It looks like something that would be given to a medieval King after a battle, as a token of surrender or just the spoils of war. It’s aged in barrels for more than 100 years and just 100cl (1 liter) is decanted into the 8kg diamond-studded bottle. There is only one bottle of every edition. They have been produced in honour of King Henri Iv, Princess Diana, Dubai, Andy Warhol, and Michael Jackson. The price varies a bit depending on the materials used, but all of them are very, very expensive.
Hardy Cognac Printemps
In celebration of nature’s cycle, Hardy presents its FOUR SEASONS series, in collaboration with the prestigious LALIQUE crystal. They all hold the same cognac, however, it comes from a small batch that was set aside at the end of World War II. There are only 400 in the world and you can expect to pay around $17 000 for one.
Remy Martin Louis XIII
Much like the Hardy Printemps, this cognac’s Swarvorski bottle is very striking and looks like something that belongs on the desk of an old French King. If you’re looking to try the Remy Martin Louis XIII, there’s a decent chance you can find it on a cruise ship, usually at over $100 a shot. This would be a good chance to decide if it was worth it to you to pay for a full bottle, priced at around $6,000.
