Ironically, despite its origins and traditions, cognac is not very popular in France. This is why Anne-Laure Pressat, despite starting her professional career in the wine industry, knew very little about cognac until a chance encounter changed that. “I was in New York,” she recalls. “And I met someone, a brand ambassador at the time, who asked if I had tried LOUIS XIII.” Her response? “Oh, I don’t like cognac, no thank you,” she relates with a chuckle. But in the end, she gave it a try—and of course, LOUIS XIII is no ordinary cognac. It is one of the most recognised prestige cognacs in the world, made of hundreds and hundreds of eaux-de-vie exclusively from the terroir of Grand Champagne, first cru of Cognac. Its rich complexity has pulled in many a convert, and Pressat was one of them. She started at LOUIS XIII as a brand ambassador in London a very fitting 13 years ago, and over time moved up the ranks until she arrived at her current position as executive director.
“It’s not really work, it’s a passion,” she says of her time with the maison. “You are driven by passion, by excitement, by the people you meet, events that you do.” She describes the brand as dynamic, but one rooted in tradition. LOUIS XIII is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, which is quite unique for a prestige cognac. “We created a category 150 years ago,” she points out. “So this brand allows you to be very rooted, but at the same time very disruptive and innovative.”
Pressat was recently in Malaysia, on one of her first trips to the region, to familiarise herself with the market and meet some local LOUIS XIII connoisseurs. One of her visits was to a dinner at DC Restaurant by Darren Chin, hosted in collaboration with Robb Report Malaysia. This is one of Malaysia’s Michelin-starred restaurants—which also happens to have a LOUIS XIII private room. “It’s a promising market for us. We believe in this market very strongly,” she says, adding that the importance of the clients here has more than justified the brand’s investment in a local private client director. “People are joyful, relaxed and happy,” Pressat says of the Malaysians she has met. “What I can see is that people enjoy it. Drink it, open it. In some other countries, they may want to keep it.” She gestures to the decanters lining the restaurant’s LOUIS XIII room, most of which have been heavily tapped.
As a brand ambassador, Pressat has attended and conducted many LOUIS XIII events, which has allowed her to observe what keeps people coming back to it. “They love the taste. You have the complexity of the wine-based spirit—very flavourful, rich and long lasting. It’s very aromatic. They truly enjoy the taste, they truly love the brand. It’s iconic, it’s timeless—they like what it represents,” she explains. “For them, it’s a symbol of success. To celebrate something, a milestone in a professional career or private life—should it be a wedding, graduation or something.
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“I’m always very touched and moved when I hear their stories,” she adds. She cites one particular client, who had purchased a six-litre Mathusalem decanter of LOUIS XIII and had it engraved on every occasion it was poured, and thus became a ledger of significant life events.
Today, the brand is Pressat’s worldwide responsibility—from production and innovation to partnerships, communication and retail. But the most important aspect of LOUIS XIII is something she leaves well enough alone—the blending itself, which is under the purview of cellar master Baptiste Loiseau. “I’m not allowed! It would be a disaster if I do it,” she jokes. This was particularly pronounced during last year’s release of Rare Cask 42.1. There have only been three releases of Rare Cask in the maison’s history. Unlike the usual LOUIS XIII spirit, which is blended to consistency from different casks, this was selected from a single, exceptionally good cask—or tierçon, to be specific for LOUIS XIII—which would fill only 775 decanters.
“We were waiting for this moment, but it’s not me who decides—it’s our Cellar Master Baptiste,” she explains, noting that the wait was quite torturous. “I would often ask Baptiste—when is it ready?” she laughs. “But he won’t give up—he is the guardian of the temple. Baptiste makes no sacrifice, no compromise. It will be ready when it’s ready. And that’s what makes it special as well.”
Another product Pressat is very fond of is THE DROP—a bottle containing 10ml of LOUIS XIII. “On LOUIS XIII, you cannot touch anything—not the shape of the decanter, which is iconic, and not the liquid except for Rare Cask. But we still constantly push the boundaries of innovation,” Pressat says. “We had this dream—to sell one drop of LOUIS XIII. Because one drop is enough to understand the pour, the beauty of LOUIS XIII.” The result was the smallest decanter of spirit ever made, in a simplified but still-recognisable shape of the maison’s decanter. “You can have it whenever you want, with whoever you want. You can wear it as an accessory,” Pressat says. “So that was a disruptive innovation. And it was great to recruit new, younger clients—to make them discover it in an enjoyable way while still keeping the essence of LOUIS XIII.
“What is very humbling is that you know that LOUIS XIII will be there for [centuries to come]. It has been there for 150 years, and it will be there for the next 150 years,” Pressat says. “So, LOUIS XIII is bigger than us. It is a century of waiting, blending and crafting, to have it. You cannot rush time. And specifically in today’s world, where everything is rushed, time is really the raw material of LOUIS XIII.”
Cover image: LOUIS XIII executive director Anne- Laure Pressat.
Photography: Anna-Rina
