LOUIS XIII UNVEILS RARE CASK ($15,000 PER BOTTLE)

During a periodic tasting of aging Louis XIII cask barrels in 2004, cellar master Pierrette Trichet, the first and only female cellar master at a major cognac house, discovered a highly unusual trait in the cognac’s aromatic bouquet and flavor profiles, along with a slight increase in alcohol character. While tracking the cask’s progression, she observed that it possessed a richness and intensity so remarkable that she decided to bottle the cognac without further blending. Now, the contents of this rare cask are being offered for $15,000 per bottle, and only 30 will be available for purchase in the U.S.

This unusual blend presents a bouquet of wild mushrooms, then a hint of lifted underwood notes arise followed by a full range of spicy tones that come from of 100 years of aging in Limousin oak barrels. It finishes with notes of gingerbread, wax, nuts, and fresh mint. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, Louis XIII enlisted Baccarat to create an opaque black crystal decanter inspired by an ancient metal and leather flask discovered by the House of Rémy Martin in the mid-19th century on the site of a 16th-century battleground in the Cognac region.

- Jason