The downtown Specs recently became home to four over-the-top bottles of cognac, a special brandy from France. And hours after Eyewitness News aired the story, a Houston man driving a Rolls Royce arrived at the store, pulled out his black American Express card and bought two bottles of the decanter of Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6.
"It's an amazing bottle of cognac, one of only 736 produced," Specs CEO John Rydman said.
Rydman received four of these rare bottles last week, personally delivered in a Rolls Royce by the VP of Remy Cointreau USA.
"Louis XIII is considered the best cognac going anyway. And to take Louis XIII and buzz it up even more, is what they've done," Rydman said.
The price tag for the hand blown decanter and its contents?
"It's $22,000 a bottle," Rydman said.
With the average bottle of cognac retailing between $20 to $40, what makes this one worth its weight in gold?
"It's extremely aged cognac from a specially selected barrel, a type that's not even produced any longer," Rydman said.
In its nearly 140 year history, it's only the second time the company has discovered such a distinctive barrel, which they say reflects the complex unpredictability of nature.
Rydman tells us that not only are you paying for what's inside but the decanter too.
"Hand crafted, Baccarat Crystal, especially designed for this single project. This is a different design that the traditional Louis Tres bottle," Rydman said.
And whether you're a collector or connoisseur, to purchase this bottle, you must live in Texas.
"We have people here who are into luxury goods, and enjoy good stuff and they ought to be able to get to it. And it's our job is to try and bring them as much as that as we can," Rydman said.
Specs tells us they'd received multiple offers from around the world, but prefered these bottles to stay right here in Texas.
That when the mystery Houstonian walked in and spent about $50,000 on the two bottles. He said one of the bottles is to drink and to pass along to his grandchildren one day.
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