The appeal of vintage spirits, or “dusties” is two-fold. They function as a time capsule, offering a tangible view into another era of distilled spirits, but there’s also the exclusivity element. Once a dusty’s gone, there’s a slim chance that you’ll find another one just like it. And on August 11, the Guinness World Records association officially recognized what is possibly the mother of all vintage spirits: a bottle of 1696 Jules Robin Cognac owned by Cognac collector Lars Janssen in the Netherlands.
The bottle now holds the title of the world’s oldest Cognac, an honor that had previously been awarded to a 1762 Cognac from Gautier. In 2020, one of only three remaining bottles of 1762 Gautier known in existence sold at Sotheby’s for $146,000, so it remains the oldest Cognac ever sold at auction.
