Paul Giraud Cognac Grand Champagne 12 years 40% 500ml

Brand: Cognac Paul Giraud

Release Name: Grande Champagne 12 Years — Single Cask, Limited Edition

Spirit Style / Type: Single-Cask Grande Champagne Cognac

Composition: 100% Ugni Blanc

Age: 12 Years, Single Cask

Volume: 500ml Bottle

Alc / Vol (%): 40.0% (One Specialist French Retailer Lists This Exact Release at 42.9% ABV/Cask Strength — Please Confirm Against the Bottle Label)

Country: France

Region: Grande Champagne (Premier Cru), Bouteville

Cask Type: Single Cask; Chill-Filtered in Bottle

Limited Edition: Yes (Limited to 400 Numbered Labels)

Award Winner: Not independently confirmed with a specific score for this exact release

Cognac Paul Giraud is a family-owned estate in Bouteville, in the heart of Grande Champagne, with winegrowing roots tracing back to around 1650 — nearly four centuries of continuous family stewardship. Paul Jean Giraud, born in 1952, represents the 10th generation to lead the domain, having founded the modern Cognac Paul Giraud brand alongside his father in 1975. The estate's vineyards sit entirely within Grande Champagne, Cognac's classified Premier Cru, in the shadow of the historic Château of Montmorency-Bouteville, and Paul Giraud is widely regarded by specialists as one of the finest representatives of authentic, single-vintage Grande Champagne Cognac, producing a range spanning from 6-year to 60-year-old releases.

This is a genuinely rare release rather than a standing product line — a single-cask bottling limited to just 400 numbered labels, reflecting Paul Giraud's broader philosophy of producing single-vintage, single-year Cognacs rather than blending across multiple years for consistency, a style specialists regard as among the truest representations of authentic Grande Champagne character. The Giraud family's own history stretches back to 1635, with Paul Jean Giraud representing the 10th generation to lead the estate, and their vineyards sit entirely within Grande Champagne, Cognac's classified Premier Cru, on Campanian and Santonian limestone soils that define the region's exceptional terroir. Single-cask Cognacs like this one offer something blended releases can't: the genuine, unrepeatable character of one specific barrel at one specific age, rather than a recipe engineered for year-on-year consistency. A compelling, scarce pick for Cognac collectors who already know Paul Giraud's VSOP or XO tiers and want to explore the estate's rarer, single-cask side.