Exsto Cognac – Elixir & Or Imperial
Exsto Cognac has been created by two French women, sommelier Julie Dupouy and entrepreneur Sabrine Duong. Their idea was to make a cognac from a “female point of view”, not “an old man’s type of drink” nor made in a traditional way through the sole vision of a family-run cognac maker. They picked 8 eaux-de-vie from 15 small cognac producers and were assisted by Vallantin-Dulac’s seventh generation master blender. Their aim was to produce a more elegant spirit with a more fruit-forward style. At the end of the process, they had created two blends: Elixir and Or Imperial. The bottles feature the hand-drawn multi-ringed topography of Cognac’s grape-growing areas – a visual that Dupouy likens to a Mastryoshka doll – while the caps, which include air-tight Vinalok seals, are designed by French glass artists Eve and Laurent George. It will be interesting to see if a new approach to cognac production, unencumbered by family traditions, can produce a different style of cognac. Whether the female influence will result in increased popularity with the ladies remains to be seen.