LONDON, UK. November 28th, 2023 - Cognac, one of the world’s best-loved spirits, was created as the result of a French knight being twice boiled alive by the devil himself.
Well, that is according to the legend - which is the focus of a brand new cognac produced from a very rare single cask., Mark Littler Ltd has released a 29 year old Grande Champagne Cognac - with only a limited amount available.
Priced at only £150 per bottle it is exclusively available at Mark Littler LTD and in a strictly limited edition of 247 bottles.
According to legend of cognac, Chevalier de la Croix Maron, Lord of Segonzac and Knight of the Maron Cross, returned from war (one of the many that France was involved in at the time) to find his wife in bed with another man. In a blinding rage, he killed his wife and her lover.
The nobleman was thereafter haunted by dreams of the devil boiling him twice in an attempt to extract his soul. The knight assumed that these horrible nightmares were a punishment for the crime he had committed.
To try and curb his dreams, he decided to drink copious amounts of his favourite drink brandewijn - a recent Dutch invention. However, even this sweet spirit could not stave off the nightly roasting that he had to endure.
After having yet another nightmare, the knight decided stared into his glass of brandewijn it came to him: the dream was a message from God.
The Lord of Segonzac was a highly religious man, which he reasoned was why the devil had to roast him twice; his soul was too pious to be damned by just one cooking. What if the brandewijn was the same? What if it needed to be ‘roasted’ twice?
The next day, the knight ordered his servants to take the brandewijn and distil the liquor for a second time. The result was like nothing he had ever tasted: a more concentrated, sweeter, smoother liquid that became known as cognac.
The reality is more likely that the French improved and modified the stills installed in the Charente by the Dutch, and finessed the art of double distillation over a longer period of time at the beginning of the 17th century. However, the legend of the Lord of Segonzac has endured through the centuries and is a fantastical addition to the history of cognac. True or not, it absolutely captured the public’s imagination.
In tribute to the remarkable history of cognac, Mark Littler Ltd has released a very rare single cask 29 year old Grande Champagne Cognac - which is available online now.
Commenting on the spirit, acclaimed critic Angus MacRaild of Whisky Fun said that it was “excellent and very enjoyable!”. He described it as bein “a distinctly chocolatey example of Grande Champagne, one which displays that region's typically 'full' character but also expresses a slightly more rustic and autumnal side.”
The Grande Champagne region is located at the heart of the Cognac region and is known for its chalky, high-quality soil that is used to grow grapes for cognac production. The region produces the most expensive and sought-after cognacs in the world including Remy Martin Louis XIII, a blend of Grande Champagne Cognac from 40-100 years in age.
For more information about the very rare single cask 29 year old Grande Champagne Cognac, or to purchase a bottle, click here.
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