Three specially produced bottles of cognac and matching engraved brandy glasses have raised over $558,000 for The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which funds the restoration and preservation of classic films. The three bottles of Louis XIII cognac, known as L’Odyssee d’un Roi, are the only ones of their kind, making them very rare. Specially created by Baptiste Loiseau, cellar master with Louis XIII, the spirit is in commemoration of the first global shipment in the late 1870s by the world famous cognac producer.
‘Preserving a cultural legacy’
The partnership between The Film Foundation and Louis XIII has been featured in several short films, highlighting the Foundations work. In a statement, eminent film director and creator of The Film Foundation, Martin Scorsese said, ‘Louis VIII and The Film Foundation are both committed to preserving a cultural legacy, honouring the past while ensuring that films survive into the future. The work of the foundation has helped to restore over 700 films, from the 1880s onward, encompassing well over 100 years of this extraordinary art form. We are grateful for our partnership with Louis XIII, and its generous and continuous support for the foundation’s mission.’
World tour
The bottles of cognac and engraved brandy glasses spent several months touring the globe and appearing in special venues in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Paris and London before being put up for auction. The Americas Edition was auctioned by Sotherby’s New York in September 2016 and raised $134,750, the Asia Edition raised $188,462 in the Hong Kong auction in October 2016, followed by $235,000 at the London auction in November 2016. Bringing the total amount raised to more than half a million dollars.
Most expensive cognac ever?
However, the L’Odyssee d’un Roi is not the most expensive cognac to be sold, but it does rank highly in the world of expensive cognacs. In 2011 an 1858 bottle of Cuvee Leonie sold for $156,760. The price tag on a bottle of Hennessy Beaute du Siecle Cognac, which has been aged in barrels for anywhere between 47 and 100 years and comes in a bottle made by Baccaret, and sits in an aluminium chest inlaid with mirrors, is $200,000. While a bottle of Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande will set a buyer back a cool $2 million. The hefty price tag may be worth it as the cognac, which has been aged for at least 100 years, comes in a crystal engraved decanter overlaid with 24 carat gold and six thousand five hundred diamonds.
Perfect presentation
The L’Odyssee d’un Roi comes in it’s own crystal decanter with four matching glasses and is stored in a leather, custom made, hand stitched presentation trunk which was especially created by Hermes. Each decanter and set of four glasses have been engraved with a 19th century map of the three continents they were bound for, the Americas, Asia and Europe, and trace the cognac’s journey across the World. It has taken more than 50 individual master craftsmen over one thousand hours to create the delicate and intricate design, and the decanter and engraved brandy glasses are now unique pieces of art.
