Luxury Cognac Louis XIII by Remy Martin has launched its first ever pop-up boutique and taken over five of Harrods’ Brompton Road window displays.
On view until 25 April, each display features scenes “celebrating memorable life moments” brought to life by 3D mapping. Inside, the complete Louis XIII range – from the Miniature (5cl, £575) to the Le Mathusalem (600cl, £60,000) – is available for purchase alongside a special limited edition collector’s item: Time Collection – The Origin: 1874 (£4,900) with a bottle finished with a mouth-blown stopper and 13 teeth on each side instead of the usual ten and the royal fleur-de-lys stamped on its front.
If you’re not familiar with Louis XIII, the super steep pricing might seem like a shocker. The Cognac is a blend of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie sourced exclusively from Grand Champagne, the first cru of the Cognac region. It is then aged in French oak in a process taking more than 100 years and multiple generations of Cellar Masters to complete before bottling. Mouth-blow and handmade of fine crystal, the iconic Louis XIII decanter is a prized possession in and of itself as well.
I dropped by Harrods earlier this week for a look. The window displays were certainly attractive. They seemed to be effective too; I noticed a couple of purchases occurring at the boutique till while I was there. But the real thrill was the chance to have a taste of this high quality quaff. Despite the teensiest of drops I was offered the yield was profuse with one of the richest and most expressive and fragrant bouquets I’ve ever inhaled. As for the flavour – wow – every moment of its exceptionally long lasting and complex finish was different from the one before it with more notes coming to mind than I could keep up with – even hints of minerality. But fig, honeysuckle, leather, tobacco, and chocolate were most prominent.
Is the stuff really really worth £2100 for a 70cl bottle? I have no idea, but I’ve never tasted anything else quite so distinctive.
Running until 25 April, the Louis XIII Pop-Up Boutique is situated on the ground floor near Door 9 entrance and the Luxury Jewelry department of Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL. Find out more at louisxiii-cognac.com and harrods.com.
