The Cognac is contained within a stunning bottle crafted from cut lead crystal glass, featuring engravings of the producer’s name and the year of production.
This exquisite bottle sits atop a green stone base embellished with golden inscriptions, accompanied by an engraved glass and a stopper.
A glass dome encompasses this assembly, preserving its pristine condition for over three centuries.
Back in 1696, during the peak of his reign, Louis XIV of France concluded the Nine Years’ War with the Treaty of Turin.
During the reign of King William III, who narrowly escaped a plot by Jacobite rebels, England was in a state of turmoil.
In North America, English and French forces were locked in a struggle for control, whereas in Europe, the Venetian Republic found itself at odds with the Ottoman Empire, particularly around Andros.
Meanwhile, the production of Cognac was evolving. Originally, in the 16th century, Dutch traders would procure wine and other commodities from southwestern France. The wine, however, did not endure the long sea journeys back to the Netherlands, leading to the innovative solution by French vintners to begin double distilling the wine, giving birth to what is now known as Cognac.
By the late 1600s, distillation methods had significantly advanced, making brandy from the Cognac area notably superior to other eaux-de-vie. This particular bottle from the 1600s remains the only one known to have survived from that era. Originally given to Edmond Jaulin, a co-founder of the Jules Robin brand, the bottle later entered a private collection in France in the 1950s.
The bottle surfaced again in 2018 and was purchased by a new owner at an undisclosed price. Believed to be the oldest Cognac to date, Guinness World Records has recently verified its age.
The title of the oldest Cognac was previously held by Gautier, with a bottle distilled in 1762; now, this Cognac surpasses it by 66 years, setting a new record.
That bottle fetched almost $150,000 at auction in 2020, by which point it was referred to as ‘the oldest Cognac vintage ever sold at auction’.