One of the most rewarding aspects of running an independent wine and spirits merchant is knowing where our bottles end up, and we are sometimes lucky enough to find out the personal stories behind them.
We recently had the privilege of dispatching an extraordinarily rare bottle of Baron de Lustrac 1923 Vintage Armagnac to a customer in Norway, who was purchasing it as a milestone 90th birthday gift for his father.
When sending a century-old bottle across international borders, there is always a natural sense of responsibility. No matter how much bubble wrap, shredded paper, or specialist protective packaging we use, the bottle eventually enters transit and into the care of couriers. So it was a true delight when the customer kindly sent us a note confirming its safe arrival, along with a fascinating piece of local history tied to his home town.
With our customer’s permission, we wanted to share an excerpt from his email, which beautifully illustrates how a special bottle of spirit can connect people across decades and borders:
“Dominic,
The bottle of 1923 Baron de Lustrac just arrived at my house in perfect condition.
I do think my father will appreciate this gift for his 90th anniversary. The last leg of the journey of this bottle will be to the town of Narvik, formerly Victoria Harbour (yes, named initially after the queen of England), well known in the British Isles because of what transpired during WW II.
The town also should be known as the place where the Scottish navy commander Patrick Dalzel-Job started his undertakings during the same war; undertakings and missions that led to the creation by Ian Fleming of the James Bond character. What Job / Bond undertook in Narvik in 1940 may well have saved the lives of my parents.
I hope providing this bottle of vintage Armagnac has been as interesting to you as it has been to me.
Best regards,”
Receiving that message sparked our curiosity to delve deeper into the historical connection between Narvik and Ian Fleming’s legendary secret agent.
The officer referenced is Patrick Dalzel-Job, a remarkable British Naval Intelligence Officer, Commando, and hero of the Norwegian Campaign. During the Battle of Narvik between April and June 1940, Dalzel-Job famously disobeyed direct orders to cease civilian evacuations. Realising the town was about to be heavily bombarded, he organised local fishing boats to evacuate roughly 5,000 Norwegian civilians to safety.
His bravery saved thousands of lives. In 1943, King Haakon VII of Norway awarded him the Ridderkors (Knight’s Cross) of St. Olav – an honour that effectively protected him from being court-martialled by the British Admiralty for disobeying orders. Dalzel-Job later served in 30 Commando (the intelligence assault unit organised by Ian Fleming), and his daring, rogue heroism is widely acknowledged to have inspired aspects of the James Bond persona.
Knowing that a bottle from our Fareham cellar played a tiny part in honouring a family whose history was shaped by those very events makes our work truly special.
Unlike Cognac, which is typically blended across multiple years to achieve a consistent house style, Vintage Armagnac is distilled from a single harvest year.
Because Armagnac is distilled at a lower strength using traditional continuous column stills (alambic armagnacais), it retains a vast amount of rustic flavour compounds, rich esters, and grape character. As it matures in oak casks over several decades, it evolves into a spirit of incredible complexity – offering rich layers of prunes, rancio, dried orange peel, leather and warm oak spice.
Once bottled, Armagnac stops ageing, preserving that precise moment in history. This makes a vintage bottle the ultimate gift for:
Milestone Birthdays (50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, or 90th celebrations)
Landmark Wedding Anniversaries
Corporate Commemorations & Retirement Gifts
Handling irreplaceable, aged spirits requires meticulous care. Old corks can become fragile, and vintage glass demands maximum protection.
Whether we are delivering locally across Hampshire or shipping fine spirits internationally, every vintage bottle at Fareham Wine Cellar is inspected, hand-packed with reinforced transit materials, and fully tracked until it reaches its destination safely.
Are you looking for a specific birth-year vintage or anniversary bottling for someone special?
We regularly source rare and mature spirits from legendary Armagnac houses, including Baron de Lustrac, Baron de Sigognac and Janneau.
