Metro Cigar News Fall 1999

Cognac History...
Lesson In A Bottle
Lovers of top-shelf spirits have something in common with collectors of baseball cards, comic books and coins, as a proliferation of thematic, limited-edition bottlings find their way into liquor stores. The friends and loved ones of whiskey, brandy, and cognac aficionados find that these offerings make ideal gifts - a way of helping keep the bar stocked by giving something even more special than a "regular" bottle.

To get a sense of how creative spirit companies can get with these projects, consider this year's arrival from the House of Remy Martin, one of the world's foremost producers of Cognac. The company's new 1738 Accord Royal is a product that offers a history lesson in a bottle. In fact, the bottle itself is part of the lesson, as much as the spirit inside.

This product is a blend created in the style of the 18th Century to honor a key date in the company's history. In 1738, King Louis XV of France bestowed a Royal Recognition of Excellence upon Remy Martin, allowing the extension of its vineyards and enabling the company to flourish.

This explains the name, but what about the crucial question of taste? The "new" Cognac is distilled with a high volume of lees to yield an exceptionally smooth taste, complex aroma, and rich copper color that echo the essence of Remy's first incarnation more than 200 years ago.

To enhance the historical nature of the 1738 Accord Royal, the bottle has been designed to replicate an antique decanter unearthed at the estate of Remy Martin. And it comes in a gift canister that depicts the cognac-making process in a series of sketches.

Remy Martin's 1738 Accord Royal is more complex than most spirit companies "event" bottlings, but many of these special editions are executing in such a lively fashion that even occasional drinkers get a sense of the attraction that draws die-hard fans.