Vancouverites are snapping up pricey bottles of Grand Marnier

Sellers of an exclusive and very pricey bottle of Grand Marnier are trying to get their hands on more for the Canadian market, because most have already been sold to British Columbians.

There are only 500 bottles of this year’s Quintessence in the world, and 20 were made available for sale in all of Canada.

At the official launch on Tuesday, representatives from the Campari Group – which owns Grand Marnier – confirmed all but two had already been acquired.

“British Columbia, specifically Vancouver, has a lot of individuals looking for luxury cognac,” said senior brand manager George Skarpathiotakis.

“It is one of the most of the most developed cognac markets in Canada,” he said, adding that Canadians drink more Grand Marnier per capita than any other country in the world.

Quintessence is made from cognac which has been stored in the paradis, a tightly-controlled cave under the chateau in France’s Champagne region.

Some of it has been aging since 1906, years before the Titanic set sail, and the start of both world wars.

“(It's) very old cognac, very spicy cognac, and double parfum d’orange,” said master blender Patrick Leger.

“It has a concentration not only on the orange, but more on the spicy notes of the zest, more on the lime."

The finished product is presented in handcrafted Baccarat crystal, and sells for $6,000 a bottle.

"We are doing our best” to acquire more of the limited supply, Skarpathiotakis said.