Rémy Cointreau, the French spirits house best known for its Louis XIII cognac, is entering the luxury fragrance sector with Maison Psyché, a range of ultra-exclusive perfumes starting at €5,500 a bottle.
Helmed by Maison Rémy Martin cellar master Baptiste Loiseau and Sophie Labbé, principal perfumer at Firmenich, Maison Psyché extends the art of cognac-making to the art of perfumery: each fragrance is composed using raw materials that are aged in cognac casks at Maison Rémy Martin's cellars, allowing them to blossom and mature like a fine liquor.
Maison Psyché's perfume bottles are also labors of love. Numbered and made in limited quantities, each flacon is made of Baccarat crystal and hand-painted with gold. Some extra-opulent editions are encrusted with diamonds.
If you were hoping to waltz into a store and sample the brand's inaugural five fragrances, I have bad news. In case you couldn't glean from its price point, Maison Psyché isn't for the layperson — in fact, it isn't even for the most knowledgable of perfume connoisseurs.
The brand is sold exclusively through private client directors at Maison Psyché and Louis XIII, limiting access to only the biggest of Rémy Martin spenders (and perhaps those with an "in" with the company).
"This will remain the House's international distribution strategy," a spokesperson clarified over email. Adding to the brand's intrigue, the location of its ateliers will be kept secret. Basically: Maison Psyché is harder to get ahold of than an Hermès Birkin.
Currently, the fragrances are available in France. U.S. expansion is slated in January 2023, Malaysia and Singapore in March, the UK and Switzerland in April, and China in March.
