Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

A Bottle Of 258-Year-Old Cognac Is Going Up For Auction—And Apparently It Should Still Taste Good

A Bottle Of 258-Year-Old Cognac Is Going Up For Auction—And Apparently It Should Still Taste Good
Gautier Cognac 1762 (Sotheby's)

A distillery worker was given an old bottle of cognac instead of payment. Now, it could be worth $200,000 in an auction.


The bottle dates from 1762, when Catherine the Great became empress of Russia and before an insect infestation “wiped out" vineyards across mainland Europe.

It has been stored in a family cellar for 140 years, complete with original label.

Sotheby's spirits specialist Jonny Fowle told the PA news agency that the 258-year-old Cognac should still taste good and will have “maintained its character."

The label on the Gautier Cognac (Sotheby's)

The sellers have had the “prized possession" in the cellar of their family home, “untouched for generations."

Their ancestors adopted their son in the 19th century. He then went to work in the Cognac region of France for 10 years, until 1880.

Soon after, the phylloxera insect infestation “wiped out" vineyards across mainland Europe.

“He probably finished his time in Cognac when phylloxera hit," Fowle said.

“He returned home to his family and in lieu of payment he had a huge cart full of bottles of Cognac", which was 'quite normal' for the period."

The family decided to keep three. Including this bottle, which was “already very old at the time.

Another bottle going under the hammer (Sotheby's)

“They kept it for another 140 years in their family before deciding to sell," he continued.

The bottle is one of only three Gautier Cognac 1762 bottles to survive. The two others, in the Gautier Museum were sold at auction in New York in 2014 for around $58,000, and are smaller.

"The Cognac is still good to drink," Fowle said.

The auctioned bottle was opened in 2014 “but I've not been lucky enough to taste it," he added.

“By all accounts it was enjoyed."

They also praised the condition of the bottle itself.

"The condition of the bottle is really good. There's not been that much evaporation," he continued.

“We can assume the alcohol level in it is pretty high and that would have acted as a preservative for hundreds of years. The liquid in the bottle would have maintained its character."

Fowle was asked if he was tempted to have a sniff of the cognac.

“No! I might be out of a job," he joked.

Family distillery Maison Gautier had obtained a Royal Warrant to produce Cognac from King Louis XV just seven years before the bottle was produced.

Other items up for auction include a whisky expected to be worth $122,000.

The Cognac will be auctioned at Sotheby's online sale, open for bidding from May 14 to May 28, with all items expected to be worth a total £1.1 million.

More from News

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less