Category: The Bottle Story

Only 150 crystal decanters of L’Esprit de Tiffon have been made using cognacs from the private cellar of Sverre Braastad (1879-1979).  He took over management of the Tiffon Cognac house after marrying the producer’s daughter, Edith Rousseau, in 1913.  L’Esprit de Tiffon is unique because it has been blended entirely from pre-phylloxera cognacs with the oldest dating back to 1805. The flavour is also unique because the grape variety used in the pre-phylloxera era was mainly Folle and Brastaad’s cognacs were from the Fins Bois cru.  L’Esprit de Tiffon was created specifically for a Polish company specialising in gifts for the wealthy.  All decanters were sold, for undisclosed sums, before the launch.  Unsurprising maybe but surely Tiffon would have benefitted from giving such a statement piece broader geographical exposure?

In a recent list of the Ten Most Expensive Spirits, this bottle of Henry IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne came second, retailing at a cool £1.2 million. Although the cognac is 100 years old most of the value is in the bottle.  Made from 24 carat gold and sterling platinum, scattered with 6,500 diamonds, the bottle weighs in at a mere 8kg.  You might expect such an extravagant piece to be unique but amazingly that is not the case.  Sitting at number one in the same list is a bottle of Tequila worth £2.1 million. Made from white gold, platinum and diamonds its appearance is almost identical, presumably because it had the same designer – Ley.925.  Glitzy presentations of cognac have always been popular but at over a million pounds, you would surely expect exclusivity to take precedence over a bottle that imitates Tequila, or Remy Martin’s Louis XIII for that matter!  As for the Cognac our 1914 Borderies, distilled 100 years ago takes some beating.

Frapin has launched a new cognac called ‘Plume’ which refers to the symbol of the Frapin Cognac house – the quill.  Housed in a decanter featuring a stopper topped by two rose gold feathers, only 500 have been produced.  The cognac comes from the Grande Champagne cru and has been aged for over 60 years in 100 year old barrels but whether it  is worth the price tag of €2500 is debatable.  We cannot comment on its quality but Frapin Cognac has never been quite the same since their cellar master, Olivier Paultes, left to work for Hennessey.  During his time with Frapin, Olivier produced many supreme cognacs including the 1991 Trésor du Château which recently won a gold medal and the Best Cognac Trophy at the 2013 International Spirits Challenge.  Try comparing these Frapin gems with our own Hermitage 60 year  old and 1991 vintage where quality speaks for itself.

The award for the Best Bottle Design at this year’s VINEXPO went to Hardy’s ‘Printemps’ which was made in collaboration with crystal manufacturer Lalique.  The Jade coloured ornamental glass top, which is actually the stopper for the bottle, reminds one of ancient Samurai legends There are intricate drawings carved into the glass which give the bottle a playful touch and a hint of the exotic.  A limited edition of 400 pieces, it is certainly destined to be reused once the blended cognac contents have been consumed.  Hardy are well known for their audacious creations.  Not to everyone’s taste perhaps, many prefer sleeker, understated, traditional bottles, such as those supplied by Hermitage Cognacs, but it is eye catching nevertheless.  The price has yet to be released.