PRE-SALE — This is a pre-sale listing. Available from 24 April 2026. Only 252 bottles were produced worldwide. If this product shows as out of stock, please contact our customer service team ([email protected]) — we may still be able to secure a bottle for you.
Malternative Belgium Cognac No. 50 Delamain Lot 85
Malternative Belgium Cognac No. 50 is a single cask Grande Champagne Cognac selected and bottled by the Belgian independent bottler Malternative Belgium, in collaboration with the prestigious house of Delamain. As the 50th release in their series, this is a landmark bottling: the very first time a Delamain Grande Champagne has ever been bottled above 50% ABV. Drawn directly from cask nr°258 on 26 February 2026 at 51% natural cask strength, with no addition of water, sugar, caramel or wood extract. Limited to 252 bottles worldwide.
Lot 85 refers to the official 1985 vintage — a distinction of extraordinary rarity. Less than 0.3% of the total cognac stock is an official vintage, meaning fewer than one in 300 casks officially bears a year. For a cask to display its vintage on the label, it must be sealed and kept under the supervision of the BNIC(Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac). Delamain itself bottles only one official vintage single cask per year. This 40-year-old expression has been aged exclusively in old neutral French oak casks, Delamain's hallmark approach, allowing the spirit to develop complexity on its own terms without excessive wood influence.
As a single cask bottling, this release offers a direct and individual view of how a specific barrel from Delamain has evolved over four decades — something the house's own standard releases, by design, do not reveal. It is particularly appealing to collectors and enthusiasts who want to explore the most transparent expression of Delamain's raw material and cellar craft.
This Cognac is best suited for experienced drinkers who appreciate aged spirits with depth, maturity and subtlety. Its structure, balance and remarkable length make it a powerful example of what time and patient cask management can achieve in Grande Champagne.
Presentation of the bottle
The bottle carries Malternative Belgium's signature label concept: a hand-illustrated bird at the centre, this time depicting Les Tarins Verts — The Green Siskins — as a tribute to the ornithological legacy of Jacques Delamain (1874), cognac négociant and author of "Pourquoi les oiseaux chantent" ("Why Birds Sing"). The label is clean and informative, highlighting the series number, the Delamain house, the Grande Champagne origin and the cask details. Clear glass showcases the deep warm amber of the Cognac. The overall presentation balances storytelling with authenticity, in keeping with Malternative Belgium's philosophy of spirits as narrative.
How to drink
Best enjoyed neat in a tulip glass. Allow the Cognac to rest for a few minutes after pouring — at 51% cask strength it benefits from time to open and reveal its full aromatic complexity. A small drop of still water may soften the alcohol and bring additional stone fruit and spice notes to the fore, but should be added with care. Ideal as an after-dinner Cognac, to be savoured slowly. With only 252 bottles produced worldwide, this is a rare opportunity to experience one of the most historic Delamain single cask releases ever brought to market. Cognac Expert
