Kuala Lumpur recently had the honour to host the first ever edition of La Maison Rémy Martin in South East Asia, with a six-day exclusive event.

For the first week of July, Zebra Square KL was transformed into an exploration of Rémy Martin’s heritage, and what goes into the making of their fine cognac, by taking specially invited guests through a journey of their four pillars: Artistic Direction, Masterclasses, Opulence Revealed, and Celebrating Talents.

To start, Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau (who became the youngest cellar master in 2014 when he was just 34 years old) shared about the history of the cognac house, as well as the process of making cognac through an entertaining, full-sized interactive projection wall.

One of the highlights was the Opulence Revealed room, featuring a table heaving under the weight of all manner of nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits like apple and grapes, spices, chocolate, and a whole wheel of Parmesan cheese. International Brand Ambassador Gan Chian Mei took over for a multi-sensory tasting experience with their glasses of Rémy Martin XO cognac, and the 400 different eaux-de-vie that go into it, and how everything on the table connected with the cognac’s distinctive flavours.

Braun Buffel commemorated Rémy Martin’s legacy by joining for a Masterclass and presenting guests with a small, personalised token of artisan leather goods as a memento of the evening; and local talents were celebrated for their drive and ambition – people like Hannah Tan, Jojo Goh, Roen Cian, and Weiron Tan – each one being the subject of their own intimate sharing sessions over the six day pop-up.

While all this was happening, people moved between these stations and were able to sample specially crafted cognac cocktails made by the talented bartenders from Omakase + Appreciate, Bar Trigona, and Coley. Set against the backdrop of live music from the likes of Josh Kua, Ryot Jones, Dasha Logan, and DJ sets by Alexis Grace, Ken Master, and Wyntella, each night was a party that feted the history of Rémy Martin and the enduring appeal of XO.