The Bottle Story – Frapin 750 How Much?
Frapin has just released a limited edition run of this unique presentation to celebrate 750 years since the family’s oldest member was born in Cognac in 1270. We do applaud these small family firms who have passed on their skills from generation to generation and not taken the easy route of selling to the ‘big four’. The Frapin 750 contains some very old Grande Champagne eau de vie, albeit blended, and is presented in a Baccarat crystal carafe decorated with Belle Epoch-like grapevine etchings. Just 21 of these presentations have been produced – to represent the 21 generations of the Frapin family – now that really is history in a bottle. It oozes quality and style but so does the price tag. One of these will set you back an astounding £43,956. That’s equivalent to 25 of our Hermitage Marie Louise Cognacs in crystal decanters!
Hefty price tags like this are, however, quite common-place in the world of whisky. Two recent releases demonstrate that, even without 750 years of family firm history, large sums of money can be charged. Glengoyne and Glenfarcas have just released limited-edition whiskies, in engraved crystal decanters and luxury presentation boxes. The Glengoyne 50 yo single malt costs £22,500 and the Glenfarcas 60 yo single cask, £19,500. Compare these prices to equivalent cognacs (Hermitage 50 yo @ £400 and Hermitage 60 yo @ £530) and it is difficult to see where they come from. Market forces must play their part but demand for old cognacs is on the rise so perhaps soon, their prices will too.