Each cellar master in Louis XIII’s house sets aside exceptional eaux-de-vie to be aged for the future, and a century later the successor will blend cognac with a selection of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vies for each decanter – thinking a century ahead has been their core tenet.

In recent years, art work, film (starring John Malkovich) and now music has been commissioned, but its actual content is cryptic – only to be uncloaked 100 years from now. Pharrell is the latest artist to produce music for the future, but it comes with a few caveats.

First you gotta survive for another century (with advances in science and medicine, who knows?), then the environment has to survive us, and the vault securing the vinyl has to survive, then humankind gets to hear the song. Basically, we gotta behave.

The future needs to be saved from itself.

The partnership between Louis XIII and Pharrell came as a result of their shared dedication to environment issues. The original song is an expression of the delicate relationship between nature and time. His track was recorded into a record made of clay from the soil of Cognac.

It’s stored in a special vault in the House, that is only destructible when submerged in water.

People, do not turn our planet into Waterworld!

Climate change is real. Global warming is real. We have to confront the consequences of our action – seriously peeps, no more plastic, okay? If we do not change our behaviour, future generations will not be able to hear this song (or live). 100 Years by Pharrell will be released in 2117, but only #IFWECARE.

As a thought experiment, what if Louis XIII had the wherewithal to, say, record the famous singers from a century ago for our modern, present-day appreciation? We’d now be listening to an Irving Berlin composition he’d have recorded on primitive audio equipment, and kept in the House’ vault until such time as is ready to be played for us. That would have been quite extraordinary, a scratchy kooky Berlin show tune.

As it is, we have the spirit, not the song, which ain’t half bad – and it’ll do nicely for now.

Also:

Here’s even bigger news from the King of Cognac. Last year the house presented the magnificent 6-liter Louis XIII Le Mathusalem. This year, once again in partnership with the crystal craftsmen of the legendary House of Baccarat, LOUIS XIII presents a truly impressive feat of master craftsmanship – Louis XIII Le Salmanazar, a world’s first-ever 9-liter crystal decanter.

Masterfully handcrafted with 15 kilograms of crystal by over 20 Baccarat master craftsmen and a master sculptor awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Louis XIII Le Salmanazar weighs approximately 24 kilograms and holds nine litres of the exquisite LOUIS XIII cognac.

The 9-litre crystal masterpiece is available exclusively at the Louis XIII boutique in Beijing SKP, and is priced at EUR350,000.

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