Expert: Paul Wagner - 6/13/2009

Question
I have a very old bottle of remy matin   fine champagne  cognac.   It has a centurian man on the label and it says e. remy martin co. Imorted by Browne Vintners Company Inc.  

The seal on the top says 36-2437721  

How old is it, is it rare?
There is no barcode and i cannot find a picture of this bottle ANYWHERE on Google.

The only info I found said the Browne Vintners Company only existed for 1933-1940.

If this is correct maybe the 36 in the begining of the numbers means 1936?   

Any info will great be appreiated. I can email you a picture of if that helps you.

-James

Answer
Dear James,

I can't tell you the meaning of the numbers on the seal, but I don't believe your bottle is especially rare.

Distilled products are so high in alcohol that they don't change much over time the way some fine wines do, so it's unlikely that the contents would have an increased value to connoisseurs.  The good news is that this started life as a very nice bottle of cognac and should still be fine to drink.  The bad news is that it isn't worth much more than a current bottling, I would estimate around $50-$65, max.  

However, bottle collectors might feel differently.  Please check with the nice folks at antiquebottles.com.  They are very helpful, and you might find that the bottle is worth far more than the liquid inside.

Hope that helps.

Paul Wagner