The Brandy Bottle – A.E Dor Opera, Legend

In 1991  A E Dor introduced their Opera presentation. The firm are ardent believers in blending and they decided to use a 25 year old cognac, which they described as an XO.

What made this bottle so special was not just the attractive red and gold ceramic decanter with its ceramic gold stopper, but the box it was presented in. The box opened from the front and had a double hinged front opening which exposed the bottle sitting in front of a gold and curved background – it was a big presentation and looked stunning.

Unfortunately today, the presentation has shrunk down to a much smaller box and the lovely red  decanter so much adored by the Chinese has changed to a blue one. The cognac too has lost some quality and although reputedly older, is stickier and sweeter. Our score 6/10