Remy defies China's war on extravagance with Louis XIII boutique

London

IF CHINA'S thirst for luxury goods is on the wane, nobody's told Remy Cointreau SA.

The distiller has opened its first-ever store dedicated entirely to Louis XIII cognac, the most expensive variant of the company's Remy Martin brand, which comprises 60 per cent of its revenue. It comes in crystal decanters ranging from tiny US$600 five-centilitre miniatures to an US$80,000 six-litre vessel dubbed a "methuselah". The boutique in Beijing's Shin Kong Place mall also offers pairings of cognac with caviar and iberico ham.