Louis XIII cognac store

Is this the future of premium spirit sales?

November 14, 2019
By Alana House

Could selling premium spirits in the same way as Rolex watches and high fashion be the key to reaching more consumers?

Rémy Cointreau believes so and is getting traction from establishing Louis XIII Cognac boutiques in China and Europe, as well as a recent pop-up in Singapore.

The first store opened in 2016 in the luxury mall of Shin Kong Place in Beijing, on the same floor as luxury fashion brands Fendi and Louis Vuitton, with the aim of attracting the same clients.

Rémy Cointreau has since expanded the concept – in 2017 its second boutique store opened in collaboration with Harrods in London; another store opened in Xi’an in its Shin Kong Place mall in 2018.

Louis XIII cognac store

Forbes noted: “Their new project, led by global executive director, Ludovic du Plessis, is simple yet genius – Create Louis XII branded boutique stores across the globe. Now, the team controls the entire customer experience and delivers the brand’s message perfectly.”

That experience includes tastings of rare premium spirits and special food pairings prepared by an executive chef. Each boutique features The Century Wheel, with 100 lights representing each year in the century it takes one bottle of Louis XIII to age and creating an interactive experience that brings the ageing process of the cognac to life, in a spectrum of “cognac shades”.

Louis XIII cognac store

“When I first tasted Louis XIII, that was it for me,” du Plessis explained. “I knew that there was and never will be anything like it and bringing that experience to consumers is my job. The more we can control how the amazing story is told, the better. With the Louis XIII boutiques storing we now can. If Ferrari and Rolex can have their own stores why not premium spirits brands?”

Louis XIII pop-up premium spirits boutique in Singapore

Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail partnered with DFS Group and Changi Airport Group in September to unveil a “new generation” Louis XIII pop-up boutique, at the airport’s Terminal 3 Departure Hall.

Louis XIII cognac store

Inspired by the Louis XIII boutiques in China and the UK, the 45sqm pop-up was a “first-of-its-kind”, aiming to take guests on a multi-sensorial journey.

Running from September 2 to November 13, the activation’s centrepiece was the Louis XIII Century Wheel and showcasing one of its tierçons outside of Cognac for the first time.

The age-old tierçons play a critical role in the aromatic development of Louis XIII cognac and have been described as an “invaluable part of the heritage of the House”.

Handmade from wide-grained Limousin oak and passed down from one generation to the next, each tierçon undergoes careful restoration through the years by using the old staves of another.

The ancient heirloom is now touring the world, to be displayed in the Louis XIII boutiques.

Visitors to the pop-up were also treated to an introduction to an aged eaux-de-vie through “Le Cloud”, a design technology by Cambridge Massachusetts-based Sensory Cloud that produces a cloud of cognac droplets, providing a visual and olfactory experience.

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