SINGAPORE. The Rémy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6 – the second such cask from the Cognac house’s Rare Cask collection – has made its global travel retail debut with DFS at Changi Airport.
With a suggested retail price of S$29,800/€18,000/US$24,000, this new expression is an extremely rare tierçon discovered by Rémy Martin Cellar Master Pierrette Trichet, and follows the launch of the first Rare Cask 43,8 in 2009 – also a Changi first.
This second edition of Louis XIII Rare Cask has been bottled in a limited number of 738 Baccarat black crystal decanters, with an alcoholic strength of 42,6 degrees.
Selected members of the DFS Platinum Services Club (PSC) were invited for an exclusive gathering organised by DFS and Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail last week to witness the launch.
The invite-only dinner took place on 28 May at Joël Robuchon Restaurant at the Resorts World Sentosa and hosted 50 top-tier PSC members, along with representatives from DFS, Rémy Cointreau, Changi Airport Group and The Moodie Report. Vincent Cleme, the brand ambassador for Louis XIII, was also on hand to take guests on a special tasting of Rémy Martin Louis XIII.
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The invite-only dinner for DFS’s Platinum Services Club members took place at Joël Robuchon Restaurant, where guests enjoyed a degustation menu by Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki |
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(L-R) Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Managing Director Peter Sant; DFS Asia South Managing Director Craig McKenna; The Moodie Report’s Melody Ng; Changi Airport Group Vice President Planning & Leasing, Airside Concessions Chandra Mahtani; Changi Airport Group Executive Vice President, Commercial Lim Peck Hoon; and Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Director Asia Pacific Ernest Tse |
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(L-R) DFS Assistant General Manager Sales Ashleigh Tschiltz; Changi Airport Group Assistant Vice President Concession Operations, Airside Concessions Monet S Aluquin; Changi Airport Group Assistant Manager Concession Operations, Airside Concessions Samantha Yuan; Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Director – Asia Pacific Ernest Tse; Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Sales Director – South East Asia Michael Chew; and DFS Singapore Regional Merchandise Manager Patricia Sim |
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DFS Changi Airport General Manager Parker Gundersen (far right) with two PSC members |
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Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Managing Director Peter Sant (left) and DFS Asia South Managing Director Craig McKenna (right) underline the significance of the Rare Cask launch | |
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Vincent Cleme (in red tie), the brand ambassador for Rémy Martin Louis XIII, led a special tasting of Rémy Martin Louis XIII following the unveiling of the Rare Cask 42,6 (top) |
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The night of luxury was topped off by a special surprise performance by acclaimed Singapore singer-songwriter Dick Lee (top) |
Prior to the tasting, guests enjoyed a degustation menu of French haute cuisine prepared by Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki, and were then treated to a special surprise performance by acclaimed Singapore singer-songwriter Dick Lee.
Underlining the significance of the launch, Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail Managing Director Peter Sant said: “Brand launches are always important occasions and I have been fortunate enough to have attended many in my life with Rémy Cointreau. However, a Louis XIII event is rare – and very special. In fact, this is my second in 30 years.
“When the cask was selected, the tasting – led by Cellar Master Pierrette Trichet – confirmed that this particular cask had properties beyond merely special. And when global travel retail was identified as a key channel to launch and showcase this product, we began to think of where and how to do it. Where would be the best showcase for a global and discerning audience? With only 738 decanters of Rare Cask 42,6 in existence, who do we trust with the crown jewels of the Louis XIII brand?
“Three words kept being repeated in our team discussions – rarity, luxury and partnership. And with those three words in mind, we are delighted to launch Rare Cask 42,6 with our great partners, experts in luxury brands and luxury retail – DFS and Changi Airport Group.”
Echoing the theme of partnership, DFS Asia South Managing Director Craig McKenna said: “Tonight is almost a perfect Trinity – a great example of strong bonds and business partnerships being able to produce a night of pure luxury such as this.”
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The official unveiling of the Rare Cask 42,6 at Changi Airport Terminal 3’s central DFS store was punctuated by classical tunes from the violin trio |
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Craig McKenna (left) and Peter Sant (right) reveal the product by pulling aside outer display panels designed to be similar to the coffret that contains the decanter |
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(L-R) Rémy Cointreau GTR Director – Asia Pacific Ernest Tse; DFS Changi Airport General Manager Parker Gundersen; Changi Airport Group Vice President Planning & Leasing, Airside Concessions Chandra Mahtani; DFS Asia South Managing Director Craig McKenna; Changi Airport Group Executive Vice President, Commercial Lim Peck Hoon; Rémy Cointreau GTR Managing Director Peter Sant; Changi Airport Group Senior Vice President, Airside Concessions Ivy Wong; and DFS Merchandise Manager Spirits Jennifer Tokunaga |
The Rémy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6 was officially unveiled at Changi Airport Terminal 3 the following morning, in a ceremony attended by DFS, Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail and Changi Airport Group.
The product was housed in DFS’s “˜Rare Spirit’ showcase, and revealed by pulling aside outer display panels designed to be similar to the coffret that contains the decanter.
Highlighting the importance of the Asia region to the brand, Peter Sant said: “Rémy Martin Cognac dates back to 1724 – over 250 years before Changi Airport welcomed its first passengers – and has counted among its devotees many of the crowned heads of Europe. Over the years it has earned a coveted place also in the hearts and cellars of the people of Asia, where it is valued as a brand of distinction and supreme quality with a unique heritage.
“By focusing on the exceptional quality of our Cognac, educating the consumer about what makes it unique and presenting it in new and dynamic ways, Rémy Martin has achieved record sales in Asia in the past year with Singapore Changi at the forefront of that growth.
“Changi Airport is a vital gateway to this entire region, and remains the benchmark for brand owners when explaining the allure of travel retail to those less familiar with its power and potential. And let’s not forget that 80% of the 51 million passengers travelling through Changi have shopping, especially luxury shopping, on their minds – that’s where DFS comes in.
“It is entirely appropriate, therefore, that Rémy Martin should choose Changi Airport to launch this very special Cognac, the Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6. I look forward to continuing our successful tripartite relationship at Changi Airport,” Sant said.
DFS Changi Airport General Manager Parker Gundersen added: “Our key focus at DFS is always to offer our patrons the best and most highly sought after products available in the market, presented in a luxurious retail setting with exceptional customer service.
“We would like to thank Changi Airport Group and Rémy Cointreau for being a long-time supporter of our retail strategy and allowing us to bring to our patrons this rare and covetable product. We feel incredibly privileged to have launched it here in DFS, exclusively for travellers in Changi Airport.”
The Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6 will continue its travel retail rollout at Hong Kong International Airport.
About Rémy Martin Louis XIII Rare Cask 42,6
A “˜Rare Cask’ is described as a single, extremely rare barrel discovered among the hundreds of century-old tierçons that will one day go to make Louis XIII. No two tierçons are ever quite the same size, and this new Rare Cask is one of the smaller ones, sufficient for just 738 decanters.
Sharing her encounter with the first Rare Cask, Rémy Martin Cellar Master Pierette Trichet said: “I will never forget the moment when I placed my chalk mark on the tierçon that was to become the Rare Cask 43,8. At that moment, I had no way of ever knowing whether I would ever find another such cask again. But somehow in my heart I was sure that I would… And in the autumn of 2009, though I could not yet be certain, I did have the feeling that I had found what I was searching for. As I tasted, I experienced that same sensation, that moment of revelation and emotion that I remembered so well. All the signs suggested that I had found another Rare Cask.”
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Like the first Rare Cask, this new expression is distinguished by a small but significant increase in alcohol, beyond the expected 40% |
Louis XIII is a blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie originating from the finest grapes grown on the slopes of the Grande Champagne region of Cognac. Some of these eaux-de-vie are over 100 years old.
Like the first Rare Cask 43,8, this new expression is distinguished by a small but significant increase in alcohol, beyond the expected 40%, with the 42,6 alcohol content clearly indicated on the decanter.
On the nose, notes of plums and dates mingle with flavours of gingerbread, prune stone and ginger, punctuated by a final touch of tobacco leaf.
The liquid is housed in a decanter made of black crystal, a signature of the Rare Cask collection. The scarcity of black crystal is due to the difficulty of obtaining a perfectly opaque black, Rémy Cointreau explained. This delicate technique, involving 20 master craftsmen in more than 50 operations, requires an extremely precise distribution of the metallic oxides to create the brilliant black colour.
The decanter – numbered 001 to 738 – owes its shape to the Louis XIII flask whose design was inspired by a metal flask found on the site of a 16th century battle. The neck of the decanter is dressed in rose gold (the first Rare Cask used palladium) decorated by quadrilobe motifs, and crowned by a black crystal stopper.
The coffret itself is sealed with a gilded rose gold plaque, and opens to a display of light on the crystal details within.
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The coffret itself is sealed with a gilded rose gold plaque |
