|
Most Expensive Cognacs Ever
We take a look at some of the oldest, most expensive and interesting Cognacs ever to appear at auction.
6th April 2022 by Scott Walker
In Articles, Lists
Share this article
Cognac can be an intriguing spirit and has all the history, elegance and exclusivity that draws in collectors and connoisseurs. The most highly revered spirit can be presented in a plain bottle with a simple handwritten label and wax seal, up to the most extravagantly decadent decanters and displays. Cognac is often associated with sophistication and elegance, and beautifully presented decanters such as Remy Martin’s Louis XIII or Frapin’s Cuvee 1888 have become auction staples and collectable series such as Courvoisier’s Erte Collection are snapped up by enthusiastic collectors, investors and drinkers. Here’s a look at some of the bottles, from vintage spirits to exclusive, hand-crafted works of art, that have caught our attention at auction.
Croizet 1858 Cuvee Leonie
Sold for £120,000
Named after the daughter of Croizet founder Leon Croizet, this pre-phylloxera cuvee was presented as her wedding dowry in 1892. It was sold at auction in 2011 in Hong Kong where it fetched an impressive 1 million yuan.
This cuvee was allegedly enjoyed by Churchill and General Eisenhower as they planned the allied forces’ tactics in World War II, with a bottle reportedly smuggled out of France by the French Resistance.
Sold at auction in Hong Kong in 2011.
Gautier Cognac 1762
Sold for £118,580
Pre-dating the Cuvee Leonie by almost a century, this Gautier 1762 Cognac currently holds the record for the oldest Cognac to be sold at auction. Astounding to think that this distillate was created before the French Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Sold at Sotheby’s in 2020.
Sold for £42,500
As Cognac decanters go, this is probably one of the more understated examples on this list but shows that subtlety can be an attribute. The beautiful Baccarat crystal decanter, produced in the early 1950s, features an intricate floral design around the simple Martell label and an equally simple stopper featuring the Martell coat of arms.
Sold at Whisky.Auction in 2021.
Sold for £40,500
This special bottle came from the personal collection of Jacques Hardy, managing director of Hardy Cognac from the 1950s until his retirement in 1999. The Cognac was distilled in 1777 by the Yvon family of the La Vie estate and was gifted to Jacques Hardy’s uncle, James, on the occasion of his wedding to one of the Yvon daughters. It was bottled in July 1936 after 100 years in oak casks, and re-corked in August 1967. The strength is interestingly stated on the label as ‘around 30°’.
This lot was part of five bottles auctioned from the family’s private collection dating from between 1777 and 1914.
Sold at Whisky.Auction in 2021.
Martell Savoir Faire
Sold for £29,500
Blended exclusively from aged eaux-de-vie from the Borderies region, the smallest and one of the most highly sought after Cognac cru. The Savoir Faire was created as a collaboration between the five master blenders of Martell and the beautiful ebony and parchment case was designed and crafted by members of Les Grands Ateliers de France, the association for the country’s finest artisan producers. This bottle was sold as part of the annual Part des Anges Cognac auction to raise funds for charity.
Sold at La Part des Anges Cognac Charity Auction 2018.
Hennessy 8 Cognac
Sold for £42,550
Bottled to celebrate the handing on of the cellar master role at Hennessy to the eighth generation of the Fillioux family. Jean Fillioux became cellar master in 1800 and the title has stayed in the family ever since, with Renaud de Gironde being the 8th generation to continue the tradition in the role handed onto him by his uncle, Yann Fillioux.
Only 250 of these stunning decanters were created and contain a blend of eight different eaux-de-vie, one to represent each generation, with Fillioux choosing seven and de Gironde choosing the final one. The eight layers of the Arik Levy designed decanter also represent the generations and each decanter is presented in a custom made trunk containing four specially designed Riedel glasses.
Sold at Sotheby’s in 2022.
Remy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6
Sold for £15,000
This eye catching black presentation of the classic Louis XIII Baccarat decanter is a very rare release of Remy Martin. One of only 738 decanters created, the 42.6 represents the unaltered cask strength at which the Cognac was bottled. The case even comes complete with mirrors and internal lighting ready to take its place on the discerning Cognac collector’s shelf.
Sold at Whisky Auctioneer in 2018.
Sold for £30,100
Sometimes an exclusive, hand crafted, shiny decanter just isn’t enough and you need to go bigger. Well if ostentation is your style then Cognac producers are known for producing even bigger, even shinier large format versions of certain premium bottles. Staying with Remy Martin, they do just that with some of their Louis XIII range, including this magnum of Black Pearl containing spirit drawn from a single 100 year old tiercon (blending cask) that held small quantities of 1200 different eaux-de-vie, some of which were over 100 years old.
Sold at Whisky.Auction in 2018.
Sold for £6,100
Another extravagant presentation of an incredible Cognac, this time to commemorate the astounding milestone of Martell’s 300th anniversary in 2015. The one-litre decanter is displayed on a metal sculpture designed by French artist Bernar Venet, with three distinct sections to represent each century. Just 300 were created to represent each year of the house. The Cognac consists of a blend of 18 eaux -de-vie with an average age of 80 years old and the oldest distilled in 1867. Keeping up the attention to detail, the final cuvee was married for 9 months in casks made from the wood of a 300 year old tree.
Sold at Whisky.Auction in 2018.
Sold for £1,450
While not as pricy or ostentatious as many of the other bottles here, sometimes there is value to be found in the history of a bottle and the story behind it. This particular bottle was passed through the generations of a London family and is probably the last remaining bottle from the family’s former business collecting wines and spirits from the docks and distributing them throughout London.
Sold at Whisky.Auction in 2021.
| 
