A RARE 60-year-old cognac worth £1,650 has received a special Cumbrian touch.

Cumbria Crystal have produced 50 one-litre decanters for the Marie Louise by Hermitage Cognac.

The Ulverston-based company designed the decanter to show a "simple and timeless aesthetic and the colour of the cognac".

Managing director Chris Blade said: "Hermitage Cognac wanted to use a British crystal manufacturer and Cumbria Crystal is one of the finest in the world.

"It's exciting to be involved in such a rare and special project and we're proud to do it.

"Being a small company we are flexible and able to entertain relatively small batch runs, so we were a logical choice.

"The best and rarest cognacs deserve to be paired with the best handmade crystal in Britain."

Workers tasked with creating the decanters had to ensure consistency in the weight and dimensions of each one.

David Barker, Hermitage Cognac managing director, described the cognac as "one of the finest we've ever offered."

He said: "It's like lining your mouth with velvet, with a full and refined aroma of muscat grape, nutmeg, baked apple, toast and walnut.

"It has a complex, glorious taste of sultanas, truffle, toffee brittle, coffee, dried fig cinnamon, clove and hazelnut, all wrapped up in an intensely rich rancio found only in the rarest of cognacs."