Jay-Z and The Shawn Carter Foundation are debuting “Bottle No. 1” of the D’USSE 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition at Sotheby’s, set for auction. The 750 ML bottle alone is worth $10,000 featuring a 24-karat gold foil around the neck, a 12-cut crystal diamond decanter design encased in a luxurious leather box, and an engraved signature from Mr. Carter.
The auction begins on March 1, 2021, at 9 am ET and the highest bid will be announced on Saturday, March 13, 2021, at 9 am ET. Proceeds for the sale will directly support the professional development and entrepreneur workshops designed for college alumni by The Shawn Carter Foundation.
“When our Cellar Master, Michel Casavecchia, discovered the aged liquid at the Château de Cognac and explained how truly one of a kind it is, it was important to me to honor it by doing something that would celebrate its singularity,” shared Carter. “Once that barrel is emptied, there’s no way the liquid can be recreated. The whole process behind the 1969 Anniversaire collection reminded me why I got involved in the spirits industry in the first place–to create something that will stand the test of time. It means a lot that we’re finally able to share the D’USSÉ 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition with the rest of the world, and we’re proud to auction the first bottle in the collection with Sotheby’s to benefit the Shawn Carter Foundation.”
Under the tutelage of the senior-most cellar master working today, Maître de Chai Michel Casavecchia, the distinctive liquid has at long last matured harmoniously to reach wholeness, and can never be replicated once emptied from the barrel. Carter first tasted the unique Cognac many years ago and found it so remarkable that he noted it must be carefully saved for a momentous occasion. After D’USSÉ surprised him with the first-ever bottle in celebration of his 50th birthday, Carter is finally presenting the collection to the world in partnership with the Shawn Carter Foundation and Sotheby’s for the first—and only—time in history.
“It’s been an honor to watch this exquisite liquid mature at the historic Château de Cognac,” says Casavecchia. “Now bright gold with shiny reflections, the Cognac in each bottle of the 1969 Anniversaire Limited Edition has rich aromas of fresh walnut, hazelnut, and candied apple, and a flavor profile that reveals an incomparable potency—woody at the start, with a long finish of stewed fruits, a touch of leather, and cigar box. It’s with immense privilege that we welcome this collection to the D’USSÉ family.”
More information on the rare bottle and the auction can be found here.