Life in a bottle When you’re sipping on the world’s most exclusive — and perhaps most expensive — 100-year-old cognac, the idea is to prolong the pleasure for as long as possible. And that’s just what I did. You are recommended to take in no more than a few drops with each sip, in order to truly understand the nuances of what you are consuming. My tasting session of cognac Louis XIII guided by Alexandre Quintin takes place in the perfect setting — a discreet corner of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, with the arch of the adjoining Gateway of India reflecting perfectly onto every facet of the ornate crystal decanter, specially designed for Louis XIII. Today, my mission is to go behind the enigma of cognac Louis XIII, for it is one of those names that not only represent France’s savoir-faire in all things luxury, but also embodies heritage, history and craftsmanship.

Justifying the price? As I take in one more sip, waiting for Quintin to wax eloquent on the complexity of the cognac’s structure, he begins, “It’s one century in a glass.” To the untrained ear, the very thought of drinking something that is over a century old may appear odd. Not in this case. What makes Louis XIII the most famous and luxurious cognac of all is that it takes over 100 years to arrive at the final product. This is certainly what justifies its hefty price tag of ₹3.7 lakh for a bottle, and hotels charging up to ₹20,000 for 30ml . So basically, as things stand, the cellar master who starts work on the cognac, never lives to taste the final product.

Quintin, the International Brand Ambassador of the House of Remy Martin (owners of Louis XIII) explains, “There are four different generations of cellar masters working in order to create one decanter of Louis XIII. It is a larger-than-life product. It all boils down to selecting the best eaux-de-vie (distilled wine, 70 per cent alcohol) from the best region of Cognac. Through this selection process of the most aromatic eaux-de-vie and those with the most ageing potential, these will be kept aside and blended together throughout the course of 100 years, to recreate the same taste profile. Also, the cellar masters ensure that there is the same texture, the same notes and the same after-taste, consistently, year after year.”

Once the final blend is ready, it is bottled in Louis XIII’s handmade crystal decanter, which has in itself become a signature. The brand chooses to be tight-lipped about its famous clientele, considering that its client list reads like the who’s who of international politics, royalty and diplomacy. “It was served to the Kings and Queens at the Chateau de Versailles. It was served at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and also on board the Normandie, the Orient Express and the Air France Concorde. “We once sent a decanter on a private jet to Leonardo DiCaprio in Hollywood and we could still do something like that,” says Quintin, on one celebrity customer whose name he is at liberty to disclose.

The story of a bottle The shape and design of Louis XIII’s bottle — or decanter, to put it more articulately — is instantly recognisable. But the bottle is not a simple artistic reproduction, rather a reflection of a long history. Quintin explains, “The shape of the bottle as we see it today is based on a metal flask that was found in 1870. This metal flask dated back to 1569 and it was lost on the battlefield during the religious wars in France. That was when Paul-Emile Remy Martin, the fourth generation of the Remy Martin family, decided to take this metal flask and reproduce it in glass. However, in 1938, French crystal house Baccarat decided to recreate it in handmade crystal. And Baccarat makes each one of our bottles even today.” Those familiar with French design will instantly recognise the ‘fleur-de-lys’ stopper atop the bottle, a symbol of the French royal family.

The Indian consumer My next question to Quintin is if India is ready for such an uber-luxe spirit available at such a high price tag. And if so, how is the brand targeting the right customers? “The idea is not to pitch it to just anybody who drinks cognac. We pitch it to Indians who have an eye for luxury. If a person is wearing an expensive watch, drives a luxury car, he or she fits into our lifestyle. Luxury is a matter of preference, it is not something that one can sell, so we don’t explicitly sell it. India has a lot of consumers who are familiar with our brands. Education and building awareness is part of the whole process. Louis XIII has officially been in India since 2010. However, there is evidence of it being consumed in India by the royals in the 1920s and ’30s. We come down to India from France to interact with clients and to push out the ‘one century in a bottle’ message. We do this through small, intimate dinners, where the exclusivity factor is very high.” What, then, is the way forward for Louis XIII in India? Quintin explains, “Building awareness is a huge strategy. We want to destroy the myth that cognac is an after dinner drink. There are no taboos on when you should drink it. It is a celebratory drink. This will only come from building awareness through tasting sessions. Perhaps even serving cognac instead of single malts. India is such a whisky-dominated market, but people are definitely getting more sophisticated and everyone is looking to go one step ahead.”

Staying relevant How has an age-old luxury tradition such as Louis XIII remained relevant in 2017? “True luxury is timeless. It is still the same today, as it was in 1874. It is still the richest one per cent of the planet enjoying our product. Another way that we stay relevant and appeal to the modern luxury consumer is to release limited edition decanters. It is a replica of the original but in champagne gold.

While on the subject of limited editions, the cognac house is going to release a six-litre bottle, the largest crystal bottle ever made, in a limited edition of 50. To understand the scale of luxury, right down to the bottle, it takes 25 craftsmen two-and-a-half months to make this bottle which weighs 25 kg!

Riaan Jacob Georgeis a luxury journalist based out of Mumbai.

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