The new rare model is the second chapter in Camus’s fantasy voyage collection, inspired by the novels of Jules Verne.
La Mer is inspired by French author Camus’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
The launch is described as “a sensory and narrative journey”, with the concept conceived by Cyril Camus, designed by Isabelle Collignon, and the cognac made by cellar master Julie Landreau.
The cognac is a blend of 100-year-old Boutigny eaux-de-vie from Camus’s private collection, a 1972 Grand Champagne and four bottles of Ile de Ré cognac aged between 12 and 17 years.
The blend was placed in a 35-litre barrel and submerged in the Atlantic Ocean, where it matured over several months under the influence of tides, pressure, darkness and seasonal changes.
Enclosed in a metal stand on the seafloor, the bottle is in constant motion, absorbing aromas rich in minerals, salts and iodine that are unavailable on land, the brand said. Like Captain Nemo’s deep-sea experiments, Landreau used a physical-chemical approach that included low oxygen levels, temperature changes and constant movement.
“Sous Les Mers is more than a cognac, it’s a journey. We threw it into the sea and let nature make its mark on it,” said Cyril, fifth-generation Camus family heir.
“What emerged was not just aromatic complexity, but a story of transformation, of surrendering to the unknown and emerging stronger, more alive and completely unique.”
Crystal Beast from the Deep
Decanter No. 1 is guarded by a crystal and bronze octopus crafted by French crystal makers Maison Daum and Les Ateliers Camus.
The bottle has a gold rope neck, said to evoke Jules Verne’s marine fantasies, and features engravings from the two distilleries.
The Extraordinary Voyages collection is divided into three chapters. Chapter one, “L’Île Cognac,” debuted in London and pays homage to Phileas Fogg’s departure point in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days.
Chapter two, “Sous Les Mers,” has been unveiled in Hong Kong and will be on view at Sotheby’s landmark Chater auction house from June 5 to 26, 2025.
Camus Sous Les Mers is available exclusively at Sotheby’s, retailing for HK$1,870,240 ($238,300) until the end of August.
Last month, the cognac house partnered with London retailer Fortnum & Mason to launch three unique single-serve versions of the brandy.
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