Expert: Paul Wagner - 8/31/2006

Question
We have 2 bottles of old cognac. One is Remy Martin Grande champagne with a bottle number hand enscibed on the bottom(987)Bought in Aruba in the early 60's. The other is Courvoisier , napoleon , with 362 on the bottom. Any idea to their worth?
Thanks
Gina  

Answer
Hi Gina:

Distilled spirits like cognac and brandy don't improve in the bottle with age like wine does.  The alcohol levels are so high that nothing much changes.  So the bad news is that these bottles aren't worth a lot more than they were when they were first released.  You might find someone who would be willing to pay about $100 apiece for them, but probably not much more than that.  The current releases of these products are just as tasty, and their storage and condition would be perfect.

But the good news is that these are also probably still perfectly good to drink.  I would pick a couple of special occasions and open them up.  They should be delicious.

Paul Wagner