On the heels of their recent relaunch of Mandarine Napoleon, Royal Dutch Distillers, a subsidiary of De Kuyper Royal Distillers, announced the release of Mandarine Napoleon XO, a limited batch to come in January 2012. The Mandarine Napoleon XO will be available in a luxury edition, and a very limited edition collector’s edition.
The XO, first produced in the early 1900s, is made of fine cognac that is oak-aged for 30 years and grapes from a secret location in the famous Grande Champagne. As much as 43% of this liqueur is cognac which is mixed with a distillate crafted from mandarin peels that are macerated and blended with the 27 enriching herbs and spice. The result: a fresh, soft mandarin flavor with a deliciously balanced cognac aftertaste. Each round of production yields a different number of bottles produced. The most recent run provided enough XO for 900 bottles globally.
The luxury edition will be priced at $300 a bottle and will come in a black luxury case. The spirit resides in an opulent tear shaped bottle composed of encased broken glass that exudes a warm, amber hue. The hand blown bottles are treated with an acid so each individual bottle cracks in a unique way ensuring that no two bottles are alike.
“Mandarine Napoleon XO is a very special liqueur to not only my family but to anyone who has been lucky enough to have a taste,” says Marc de Kuyper, representing the 11th generation of De Kuyper Royal Distillers. “With the XO, we are excited to share the latest batch of 900 with the most discerning of palates.”
Mandarine Napoleon XO’s enticing flavor is intended to sip neat as well as used in cocktails. World famous bartenders have created specialty drinks using the limited edition product. At PDT in New York City, Jim Meehan offers the Napoleon’s Opera, a cocktail with: Mandarine Napoleon XO, gin, Dubonnet Rouge and Angostura Bitters.
