Tales From The Drinking Cup: lil' Louis turns the lights on in Paris
The world's most opulent spirit maker, Louis XIII, has launched a new limited-edition celebrating Paris in 1900 with its second Opus of Time Collection.
At a time when the luxury supergroups seem to be snapping up all of the world's finest brands, it's an anomaly then that the planet's finest spirit maker has not succumbed to the lure of the chequebook. When you're a multi-billionaire, owning Louis XIII is quite the feather to put in your cap, but for now the legendary cognac producer proudly sits at the head of the table in the Rémy Cointreau group, where it surveys the cognac market with disregard for challengers.
Its place at the forefront of the Dionysian font has recently been further secured with the release in February of the second iteration of its Time Collection. After the first opus “THE ORIGIN – 1874” commemorating the creation of LOUIS XIII, the House has partnered with the Monnaie de Paris and The Cristallerie of Saint-Louis to pay tribute to Paris in 1900, where LOUIS XIII received the highest praise with a limited-edition of 2000 numbered decanters commemorating this historic year, when Paris hosted the World Fair. In 1900, The Paris World Fair was a global festival of engineering feats, technical triumphs and creative prowess counting 83,000 exhibitors, which presented a vision for the next century. Thanks to its founder Paul-Émile Rémy Martin, who was an active member of the Paris Universal Exposition jury, LOUIS XIII was presented and received the highest praise.
The decanter is a reedition of the original bottle inspired by a flask found on the battlefield of Jarnac, fought in 1569. It features 13 dentelle spikes instead of the usual 10, a stopper in the form of an upturned decanter, an elegant neck and 7 fleurs-de-lys decorated with 18-carat champagne gold, as well as a central medallion. The champagne- gold metal coffret presents a new medal design on each corner. Inspired by illustrations from the archives of the Monnaie de Paris, each captures a facet of Paris in 1900: Arts & Craftsmanship, the Iconic Architecture, the City of Lights and La Parisienne, that would shape the century to come.
If you've sampled Louis XIII before, then its delights do not need explaining to you, but for the uninitiated, I highly recommend you read my colleague Aobh O'Brien Moody's piece here, which will give you insight into the painstaking process that makes this the most luxurious nepenthe in the world. This particular limited edition gives its owner exclusive access to a full-size medal specially minted by the Monnaie de Paris and is engraved with the same, unique number as the decanter, making it a true collectors’ piece to treasure forever and a must-have for all connoisseurs. It will also provide clients seamless access to an exclusive world of privileges thanks to the integration of NFC technology on the cork stopper. Each decanter will directly connect clients to the LOUIS XIII Society, a private club where members can enjoy exclusive content, unique experiences and personalized services through their smartphones.
To purchase Louis XIII through The Rake, click here to see all the iterations on offer.
