A Century Ahead – Louis XIII and Pharrell Williams
Louis XIII and Pharrell Williams have teamed up to create an exclusive cognac and a song to raise awareness of the imminent threat of climate change.
Climate change is not just a concern — it is a reality. Within the next 100 years, the ice caps will have melted due to rising global temperatures caused by the deterioration of the atmosphere, primarily from pollution and the greenhouse effect.
This, in turn, will cause water levels to rise all over the planet, submerging parts of the land that is currently above water. Unless we diminish our carbon footprint on a massive scale, the effects of climate change will significantly affect the world in ways we cannot fully fathom.
The Rémy Martin–owned cognac Louis XIII and musician Pharrell Williams, both advocates in the fight against climate change, have teamed up to create both an exclusive eau-de-vie and a song called “100 Years.” The signature Louis XIII Cognac represents the life achievement of generations of cellar masters. The current batch, made by cellar master Baptiste Loiseau, will be a legacy to his successors.
“100 Years” is a creative expression by Williams that details the relationship between nature and time and the long-lasting effects humans have on their environment. Williams hopes that his music will be passed on to future generations.
“With ‘100 Years’ — the song we’ll only hear if we care — we hope to inspire people around the world to take action” — Ludovic du Plessis
But the end goal is not to simply create and dedicate a decanter of cognac and a song about climate change. Louis XIII and Williams have taken it a step further.
Only a single copy of “100 Years” exists; it has been encoded on a unique clay record made from the soil of Cognac, France. This record has been placed in a state-of-the-art safe in one of Louis XIII’s cellars, along with the only decanter of Louis XIII Cognac made especially for this project. The safe has no code or key, but will automatically open in November 2117, 100 years from now.
The song was played just once at an exclusive listening party in Shanghai, and none of the fortunate listeners were allowed to record it, thus keeping it secret for the next century.
However, the safe holding the recording of “100 Years” is water soluble, which means that if we continue to neglect the earth and water levels keep rising, both the safe and the only copy of the song will be destroyed before anyone can hear it.
“Nature and time are at the heart of what we do. If the environment is unstable, even the greatest cellar master would not be able to compose the exceptional blend that is Louis XIII,” says Ludovic du Plessis, global executive director of Louis XIII.
“I love the fact that Louis XIII thinks a century ahead,” says Williams. “We should all do the same for the planet. We have a common interest in preserving nature for the future. Each bottle is the life achievement of generations of men and women. It’s all about legacy and transmission.”
If climate change is not combated, our descendants will never get to hear the song Williams has written. “Global warming is one of the most important issues of the 21st century. With ‘100 Years’ — the song we’ll only hear if we care — we hope to inspire people around the world to take action,” says du Plessis.
Louis XIII Cognac is launching an international tour of charity dinners in major cities around the world to raise awareness and funds for environmental organizations. Through these events, Louis XIII will directly support associations dedicated to combatting climate change on a local level.
Louis XIII and Williams hope that this project will encourage others to take action against climate change and give people of the future a chance to experience the drink and the song — but it will happen only #Ifwecare.
photos courtesy of louis xiii
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