BENGALURU: The city’s whisky, cognac and wine aficionados will stop at nothing to indulge in rare and fine spirits for those special celebratory moments. Liquor store shelves in namma Bengaluru are lined with limited-edition alcohol bottles from around the world aimed at providing a luxury experience to discerning connoisseurs. With the world’s most exquisite spirits selling from several thousands to a couple of crores of rupees, clearly, there is a demand for precious liquors steeped in history and style.
Mansionz by Living Liquidz, a sprawling luxury liquor boutique in Malleshwaram, recently unveiled the iconic LOUIS XIII cognac with two of its largest and rarest crystal decanters for the first time – the LOUIS XIII Mathusalem, a six-litre decanter, and the LOUIS XIII Jeroboam, a three-litre decanter. With its distinctive shape, dentelles and fleur-de-lys motif, these individually numbered decanters house the ultimate expression of the finest Eaux de- vie to blend since 1874.
The first-ever bespoke tasting in the city was led by Malo Le Mestre, brand ambassador for LOUIS XIII along with Abhishek Parameswaran, country manager India at Rémy Cointreau and, Craig Wedge, director of retail operations at Mansionz. With only 50 produced each year, the LOUIS XIII Mathusalem collector's piece is handmade by a team of 20 master crystal artisans with a design inspired by a French 16th-century flask uncovered from the site of the Battle of Jarnac.
Both mouth-blown decanters are presented in an opulent wooden trunk with Christophe Pilletdesigned glasses and a spear (pipette) – a tool traditionally used by generations of Cellar Masters to extract the deep amber liquid with the lightest touch as part of a unique tasting ritual. The 700ml Classic decanter of LOUIS XIII is priced at Rs 2.85 lakhs while the 3L and 6L decanter prices are available on request. Sonarys fine wine importers have built an enviable port - folio of top products from famed wine-growing regions of the world on their stock list.
Some of the prominent wines include the Pauillac de Chateau Latour 2015 (Rs 24,600), the Sassicaia Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC 2018 (`33,990) and the Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du- Pape 2017 (Rs 26,901). Dom Pérignon, the world’s most prestigious champagne named after the 17th-century Benedictine monk, belongs to luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
The exceptional Dom Pérignon P2 2000 champagne (Rs 52,287) is released after 15 to 20 years lees ageing and the wine is fruit intense, vibrant and crisp. Besserat de Bellefon BB 1843 (Rs 42,000), imported by Monika Alcobev, is brut blended champagne made from vineyards classified as Grand Cru and Premier Cru. This beautiful pale gold cuvée is called BB 1843 in homage to the creation date of Maison Besserat de Bellefon.
More than 150 years later, Hennessy still makes a very fine XO. The Hennessy X.O (Rs 22,649) ‘extra-old’ cognac is oaky with leather, tobacco and spice notes and is best savoured with a cigar. According to Hemanth Rao, founder of Single Malt Amateur Club, “Whiskies such as the Glenmorangie Grand Vintage, Laphroaig 25 YO, Bushmills 21 YO, and Talisker 25 YO are being sold at price points ranging from Rs 35k to Rs 1 lakh depending on the vintage and year of import.
Indian manufacturers have started to offer variants in this category, such as Mithuna from Paul John and Amrut Fusion XI.” 10, Bengaluru’s newest speakeasy bar, recently offered the most expensive cocktail in town. Curated by ace mixologist Yangdup Lama, the two masterpiece cocktails Millionaire Manhattan and Darjeeling Dew were priced at Rs 10,000 each.