Would you drink a bottle of Cognac that dates back to the Revolutionary War?
You’ll have that chance when Whisky.Auction begins its next sale on January 31. Included in the lot by the spirits auctioneer is a Jacques Hardy 1777 Grande Champagne Cognac, which was bottled in 1936 after 100 years in oak casks and re-corked in 1967. No price estimate is available.
As WA describes the eau-de-vie: “A bottle of 1777 Grande Champagne Cognac from the personal collection of Jacques Hardy [ex-managing director of Hardy Cognac]. This Cognac was distilled in 1777 by the Yvon family of the La Vie estate and was gifted to Jacques Hardy’s uncle, James, on the occasion of his wedding. It was bottled in July 1936 after 100 years in oak casks, and re-corked in August 1967.”
The Cognac was produced by the Domaine de la Vie in Grande Champagne, which still exists today. While the auction house claims the 1777 bottle will “show its aroma of a smooth bouquet and of the blossoms of vine flower in June in Charente,” they also do not guarantee that the bottle will be free of the effects of age, cork taint, oxidation or sediment.
Still, if stored properly, Cognac has an indefinite shelf life, though some experts believe the spirit does “age” (not necessarily in a bad way) in the bottle incrementally.
Cognacs from 1802, 1812, 1906 are also available at the auction, as well as a special Macallan release from 1981 — that one is a vatting of single malts distilled in 1948 and 1961 to honor the then-marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
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