Old Master Spirits 100 Year Old Cognac Review!

Yes, that's right, 100 years old! More of a "very, very old" master if you ask me! A Grande Champagne Cognac that has spent an entire century maturing in French oak, bottled to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Old Master Spirits. What a find, and what an incredible achievement!

A 100-year old cognac! An entire century spent maturing in French oak. This single cask brandy was sitting in an underground cellar in the Cognac region of France since the early 1920s, not long after the end of World War I, until it was plucked from the shadows by Melbourne's Old Master Spirits. This small independent bottling operation is quickly becoming Australia's primary source for quality aged brandies, among other spirits and other drinks. Previous brandy bottlings from Old Master have included 51, 55, and 63-year old cognacs, a 48-year old armagnac, and the oldest so far; a 79-year old cognac that was distilled in 1945! Now they've really excelled themselves with this latest discovery, a 100-year old single cask cognac selected & bottled to commemorate their fifth anniversary. Makes me wonder what they'll be coming up with for the tenth anniversary! It's a monumental achievement for anything to survive to 100-years of age, whether that be a human being, a car, a company, or a cask of cognac. The risks associated with maturing a cask of any spirit for so long are significant, with the more obvious risks evaporation and/or leaking, both of which are exacerbated by using an old cask. Then we have the issue of wood influence, with a century spent in a wooden vessel there will always be flavours imparted from the wood. But if you can carefully manage these two points, the crucial issue then becomes the alcoholic strength; if it drops below the minimum 40% ABV required for it to be bottled as cognac (and the same applies to Scotch whisky). All of these risks have to be very carefully managed and conditions monitored for a cask of any spirit to "go the distance" and reach any advanced age, let alone a mind-blowing 100-years!

In whisky terms, nobody has come close to this sort of age yet. The oldest single malt Scotch whisky to date is an 85-year old Glenlivet that was bottled in 2025 by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, and that carried a retail price tag of £125,000 in Britain or $260,000 AUD here in Australia. Now, to be fair, that is roughly $50,000 cheaper than the previous record holder for oldest single malt; an 84-year old official bottling of Macallan, and while I'm sure it's an incredible whisky that's a ridiculous sum of money, and bottles are still available over 6-months after the initial release. One can only speculate what a 100-year old single malt would sell for in another 10-15 years' time, but it's safe to say that you wouldn't expect change from $300,000 in the current climate. With that in mind, what would you expect a bottle of this 100-year old single cask cognac to be selling for in Australia? For reference, there are only 42 x 500ml bottles available, and it was bottled at a natural cask strength of 46.6% ABV rather than diluting to the minimum 40% ABV to squeeze a couple of extra bottles from the cask for higher return on investment. So it must be ridiculously expensive, right? In fairness, cognac isn't as "luxurious" or "collectable" as a single malt Scotch whisky, but surely just 10% of the price of that 85-year old single malt - $26,000 AUD - would be a fair guess. Well guess again! This single cask 100-year old cognac from Old Master Spirits, in a 500ml bottle at a cask strength of 46.6%, is retailing for just $1,399 AUD. That's roughly 0.5% of the price of a bottle of that 85-year old Glenlivet. In terms of value for money, for that $1,400 you could buy a single 3.5ml share of that 85-year old single malt (BYO diamond-studded dropper for application), or you could buy a whole 500ml bottle of this 100-year old cognac. That is a seriously, seriously good deal! Leaving the world of spirits for a second, a different sort of alcoholic drink is more commonly seen at this sort of age; tawny fortified wine, a.k.a Australian port. A 100-year old 1926 vintage tawny from the famous Seppeltsfield Winery in the Barossa Valley is currently available for $1,850 AUD. It's a fortified wine not a spirit, the alcoholic strength is less than half, and it's a completely different drink, but that's a lot closer to this sort of price level. Except it isn't, because that $1,850 100-year old tawny is only available in a 100ml bottle! So you'd need to buy five of those to equal the liquid volume of Old Master's 100-year old cognac, which would then cost you $9,250 AUD. Have I made my point? $1,399 is a serious deal people! 

This 100-year old cognac from Old Master Spirits was sourced from Famille Cabanne, a family-owned cognac & spirit producer that was established in 1810! The family can trace their roots back to 1686, and the company is still headquartered in the original family home and distillery in Bourg-Charente in the heart of the Cognac region of southern France, roughly 500km south of Paris. Cabanne also produce whisky, rum, vodka, gin, and pineau des charentes fortified wines. Cabanne are located in the Grand Champagne Cru of the Cognac region, the top-ranked growing area in the cognac DOC, basically the region's geographical best of the best in terms of growing conditions. This Old Master Spirits cognac was distilled from 100% ugni blanc white grapes, known as one of the most suitable grape varieties for brandy. It was distilled in the early 1920s in the direct-fired (heated by flame from below) copper brandy still pictured above, which is on historical display at the Cabanne Distillery. This cognac was "distilled on lees" which is a brandy term meaning that the wine was not filtered before going into the still for distillation. This leaves grape must, spent yeast, and other heavier particles in the wine throughout the distillation process, giving more texture & character to the spirit, especially when combined with direct heating. This 100-year old Famille Cabanne cognac then spent an entire century in refill French oak that was coopered by Seguin Moreau, one of the premier cooperages in the Cognac region, and it has not spent time in glass vessels (demijohns) which could legally be included in the age statement. After bottling at the natural cask strength of 46.6% ABV, the cask yielded just 42 x 500ml bottles, or 21-litres of 100-year old cognac! Naturally it is non-chill filtered and natural colour, and unlike some cognacs there are no additives involved here. This Old Master Spirits bottling is being released on the 30th of April 2026 at 7pm AEST, and you can register your interest via this link. Let's get to the review... Excitingly, this is far & away the oldest spirit that I've ever tasted, and I can't thank Deni & David at Old Master enough! 

Old Master Spirits 100-Year Old Famille Cabanne Cognac, 46.6%. Cognac, France. 

Distilled start of 1920s, fully matured in French oak, bottled November 2025 at cask strength. Non-chill filtered, natural colour, no additives. 42 x 500ml bottles. 

Colour: Bronze. 

Nose: Rich, sweet, velvety. Black cherry jam, ripe peach & apricot, cinnamon & clove. Hazelnuts & walnuts, rich dark chocolate ganache. Orange peel, soft leather, raisins, tea leaves. Touches of sandalwood & cologne. Dried woody herbs (sage?) around the edges. 

Texture: Medium weight. Rich, silky, velvety soft. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Rich, sweet, soft, lightly acidic, very fruity. Dark chocolate ganache, raisins, and a little furniture polish. Then beautiful under-ripe mango, white peach, apricot, and a little orange peel. Slight touch of woody herbs (sage, aniseed). Raisins in toffee sauce, and black cherry ice cream (slight creamy vanilla). 

Finish: Long length. Under-ripe mango and apricot carry through, with white peach & black cherry following. More raisins, soft leather, toffee, and furniture polish. Spices return with cinnamon, clove, sandalwood. Dried woody herbs - sage and aniseed - in the background. 

Score: 5 out of 5. 

Notes: Just fantastic. What an experience! There's so much depth & complexity here in such an old spirit, without even a hint of it becoming fragile, or muted, or tannic, or over-oaked - which could easily have happened after 100+ years in French oak! Those bright tropical fruit notes are delicious, adding a bit of freshness & acidity on the palate despite the (very) advanced age. For the price tag here, again for a 100-year old single cask brandy at cask strength, this Famille Cabanne cognac gets a resounding "yes" from me! For something of this age, provenance, rarity, and quality, to have come to Australia is quite incredible. Well done Old Master Spirits for securing this very special cask, and for landing it here at a very reasonable price point. Big congrats on the fifth anniversary!

Massive thanks to Deni & David for the sample for this review. A 100-year old cognac! What an incredible experience. Don't miss this one folks!

Cheers!