The stronger portion of a batch of 1973 vintage Cognac from highly rated bottler, Grosperrin.

This Cognac was originally purchased by a family of notaries (a kind of French lawyer) who have lived in Cognac for many generations. The father of the family bought this spirit from a client of his, who was the then chairman of one of Cognac’s biggest companies.

The spirit was left to the patriarch’s wife and son following his death. Unfortunately, the wife and son did not get along well after the father’s passing, and the spirit remained contested for decades, passing into the control of the State on the 25th of January 1974. It remained in the government cellar, which was located by the bank of the Charente and was incredibly humid, for many decades, until the Cognac was purchased by Grosperrin. Incidentally, the cellar it was stored in is now home to the museum of Cognac!

This is certainly a bottling worthy of a place in any exhibition. The Cognac serves up many of the same flavours as its sister cask, albeit with a great intensity and spice. Drinkers can expect weighty flavours of dried fruit and ripe, juicy plums, treacle, with hot spices of cinnamon, turmeric and slight chilli, toasted bread, charred oak, tobacco smoke, dark chocolate, beeswax, baked apples, cedarwood, rancio and a little crisp pear.

Bottled at an extremely generous 60.3% ABV (this barell has kept its proof wonderfully over the years) this is an intense, full bodied dram.

• Product type
  Vintage Cognac
• Distillery / brand
  Grosperrin
• Country
  France
• Region
  Petit Champagne
• Distillation date
  1973
• Non-chillfiltered
  Yes
• Natural colour
  Yes
• SKU
  041749