The most expensive cognac that has ever been produced in the world is called, as it should be, very ornate - "King Henry the Fourth Legacy of Dudognon of the Grand Champaign." Its value to many may seem sky-high. For a bottle of this alcoholic drink today require about two million dollars. It is clear that they release it only by individual order. But in addition to this cognac, there are several very expensive and exclusive drinks.
Exclusive alcohol
The most expensive cognac has always attracted increased interest of gourmets, lovers of elite alcohol. Initially, many of his connoisseurs were in France. During the reign of Henry II, he was called living water, which can prolong human life, completely dispel a gloomy mood, preserve youthfulness and liveliness of the heart.
In our time, just French cognacs are considered the best, they are increasingly called real divine drinks. Although now very popular are Armenian, Georgian and even some Russian varieties of this alcohol. True gourmets, who are available to experience this pleasure, enjoy rare drinks, even make collections of exclusive varieties.
Manufacturers of the most expensive cognac seek to satisfy the needs of their consumers. Therefore, from time to time, exclusive and limited series are launched on the market. Especially often, famous French houses go to this, many of which have been working on the market for more than one year.
Limited Edition
Under their brand, they produce limited editions, and sometimes even piece copies of this miracle drink. One such bottle can cost a fortune inaccessible to mere mortals. It is worth noting that the price is consistent with quality, because the price includes the highest craftsmanship of the manufacturer, unique recipes, unique conditions in which raw materials are grown, aging made in special conditions, rich and unique packaging, sometimes made from pure gold, and sometimes with the addition of precious stones.
Usually, such brandy is bought not to drink immediately, but to enjoy it, possibly for several years.
Nowadays, there are a large number of various brandy brands that periodically release collectible copies of their products on the market. The cost of many of them makes me sincerely surprised, but among such instances one, the most expensive cognac in the world stands out.
Cognac "Henry IV"
The most expensive cognac of the exclusive varieties that are prepared to order is called "Henry IV". It is dedicated to the French king, who ruled his country from 1589 to 1610. His life ended tragically. At the very end of his reign, relations with the Habsburgs intensified, and France entered into a conflict between the Protestants and the Holy Roman Empire. Many did not like the prospects of a new bloody war in Europe. In 1610, Henry IV was killed by the Catholic fanatic Francois Ravalliac. On the move, he managed to jump into the carriage in which the monarch rode and hit him with a knife three times.
Cognac, named after him, has been produced in France since 1776. It is made in the center of a small province of Champagne. It is he who is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive cognac. You will find a photo of the drink in this article. It is also considered the most expensive alcoholic beverage on the planet. As you can see, he is worth a fortune.
The most expensive bottle of brandy "Henry IV" for two million dollars was sold in 2009. The precious drink was placed in a special container, a unique decanter made of the highest quality platinum and 24 carat gold. The total weight of the gems that adorned the bottle was about four kilograms. She was wearing six and a half thousand diamonds and other gems.
No less worked on the creation of the bottle than on the production of the drink itself. A French jeweler named Jose Davalos worked on the design.
At the heart of the most expensive cognac that could ever be bought on planet Earth are exclusive cognac spirits that have been aged for at least a hundred years. The strength of the drink is 41 percent alcohol. For a century, it was aged in barrels that had previously gone through a five-year dry land in the fresh air.
Dear but affordable
If you do not have two million dollars, do not worry that you can never try this exclusive French cognac. There are so-called mass varieties that are on sale, are hundreds of times cheaper, and the quality is excellent.
These include, in particular, Hine, the most expensive cognac among those that can easily be bought at specialized alcohol supermarkets. It is produced in the town of Cognac, which means that it can rightfully be called cognac.
The fact is that the very name of this alcoholic drink came from the city of the same name in France, which is located in the Charente department in the south-west of the country. According to the law in France, only drinks produced in this territory have the official right to be called cognac. All alcohol prepared outside it must be called differently.
Therefore, drinks that are produced in other countries, including Russia, are not officially cognac. It would be correct to call them brandy. Brandy - This is also a strong alcoholic beverage, which is prepared according to sophisticated technology, it remotely resembles cognac in some ways, but the taste and features of the French real masterpiece are completely different.
The most expensive Heyn brandy also belongs to them. Its price in Russia today reaches one million three hundred thousand rubles per bottle.
Benefits of Heyn Brandy
Hain has a unique feature - it is the only cognac that has been regularly served for many years at receptions at Buckingham Palace for many years. This tradition dates back to 1962.
The cognac house producing this drink was founded about two hundred years ago. Although this happened in France, the head of the company was an Englishman whose last name became the name of the famous and expensive cognac. It is believed that he belongs to the idea of the company’s brand name, on which you can still see a graceful deer.
The main distinguishing features of this brandy are that it is produced from selected raw materials, while presenting the highest requirements for equipment. In addition, the company has its own small, but very important secrets that are not disclosed to anyone. At the same time, the Heyn brandy house does not have its own vineyards, so he has to buy spirits. First they are kept in new barrels, and then poured into older ones from Tronsean and Limousin oaks. When the cognac is ready, they are in no hurry to pour it into bottles. It is kept in small barrels for another year, and then filtered. Another interesting feature. Before bottling, each bottle is first rinsed with cognac.
As you can see, the technological process is very complicated, therefore it is not possible to achieve large volumes of production of this drink. Therefore, it is considered so exclusive and expensive, but not at all collectible and therefore very affordable.
Collectible Varieties
If we return to the collection varieties, which are released in a limited edition, then we must definitely mention the Hennessy Ellipse cognac . The famous Hennessy company regularly produces such collections. This came out in a limited edition of two thousand copies.
The price of one bottle was approximately eight thousand dollars. The bottle has an elaborate elliptical shape, which was specially designed by Thomas Bastide for this collection.
Legendary is the cognac L'Esprit de Courvoisier. Its highlight is that the drink is made from alcohols obtained back in the time of Napoleon III and Edward VII. Thanks to this, the drink acquires a unique aroma, and the aftertaste lasts at least half an hour.
Bottles of this brandy are poured into crystal decanters to emphasize the high status of this drink. The minimum price of one such decanter starts at seven thousand dollars.
A fortune beyond brandy
The super expensive brands of cognac include Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Magnum, which is one of the most famous hundred-year-old cognac varieties.
The drink was released in a limited series of 358 bottles, each of them has its own serial number. Cognac is bottled in a special form, called the "Black Pearls". The last bottle from this series was recently sold for 34 thousand dollars. She was sold on duty free to a Chinese couple at a Canadian Vancouver airport.
Armenian brandy
In Russia, cognac produced in Armenia, a country famous for its vineyards, enjoys honor and respect.
The most expensive Armenian cognac brand Komitas will be distinguished by a 50-year aging. It was released in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Its cost was about two thousand euros.
Russian brandy
Surprisingly, the most expensive cognac in Russia is also made by the French. The most popular of the elite varieties among the domestic establishment is Meukow Esprit de Famille.
This is a French company, founded in the middle of the century before last, by brothers ... from Russia. The reserves of this cognac are very limited, amounting to only about two thousand bottles. The cost of such a bottle is more than 40 thousand rubles.