Exshaw, trading house
Exshaw was founded in 1805 by John Exshaw, who bought young cognacs and let them mature in France. Very contrary to the custom of the time, because English traders ususally shipped their cognacs to London to let them age.
His son Thomas-Henri continued the company and exported to various countries where England ruled. The company gained a lot of prestige and was well-regarded in the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War however it lost a large part of its market share and started to struggle.
In 1975 it was bought up by Otard.
Exshaw has been withdrawn from the market for some time now, but although it is still possible to buy bottles from old stocks, Exshaw is no longer produced. Exshaw number 1 is highly regarded.
The last produced qualities were XO and Extra Age d’Or, both grande champagne.
In addition millesimes are regularly offered.
I have owned this rare UNOPENED/SEALED original Exshaw Cognac for many many years.
Is there any expert may help me to find out what year and the value of it?
That is not so easy to answer. There are no other double magnums on the market to compare prices with.
There are some 1.5L VSOP bottles of Exshaw. They go for under €200.
This one is much bigger and it is in a cradle. The level inside is a bit low and the label is torn.
I can only take a wild guess: €300.
You could try asking an auctioneer.
I know that Gilbert Delos’s has written half a page about this house in his book ‘the World of Cognac’. I know of no other substantial information.
Ton
does anybody know whether there is any historical books published on the Exshaw cognac house ?
where was their offices in Charente and which families did they buy Cognac from ?
I would be interested in talking to anybody who used to know the company or family.
Hi Martin, I just happened to stumble on this post whilst doing some research. I am from the Exshaw family myself. I have kept a lot of old cognac merchandise, documents and photographs and I’m compiling and digitising a lot of the historical items. I believe there was an office/factory was in Emile Counord, Bordeaux. I have attached my photo of the factory (I believe from the 40’s. There certainly is some interesting history, I remember being told that a lot of the stock was hidden during the war!
I’m more than happy to discuss the history further if it is of interest!