H E N N E S S Y C O G N A C C E L E B R AT E S 2 5 0 Y E A R S
Cr afting the future
By Michael Tulipan | Photos courtesy of Hennessy
T
he year is 1765. The first stirrings of liberty appear in America as colonists protest against the British Stamp Act. In Paris, the world’s first true restaurant opens. Further south, in the town of Cognac, a retired Irish soldier named Richard Hennessy settles and begins exporting brandies to his native Ireland and England. Maison Hennessy, the world’s premier cognac producer, is born. Fifteen years later, the Marquis de Lafayette travels on the ship Hermione from nearby Rochefort to lend support to the American revolutionaries, barrels of cognac safely tucked in the hull. The journey forever seals the bond between the two countries. Two and a half centuries after its founding, the eighth generation of the Hennessy family guides the company in a unique partnership with the Fillioux family, its seven generations of Master Blenders safeguarding Hennessy’s commitment to excellence. Unique among cognac producers, Hennessy controls every aspect of production, from their own vineyards and oak forests to a cooperage where handcrafted barrels are made without glue or a single nail. Every September, ugni
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blanc grapes are harvested, fermented and double distilled into eaux-de-vie. The spirit is then aged in oak barrels sourced from the nearby Limousin and Tronçais forests, their low resin content perfect for aging. The true artistry comes when the spirits are blended. Seventh generation Master Blender Yann Fillioux trained under his uncle Maurice starting at the age of 19. Fillioux oversees a tasting committee with six Master Tasters gathering every day at 11 am to evaluate eaux de vie from the world’s largest reserves of aged cognac. Rodney Williams, Executive Vice President, Spirits, Moët Hennessy USA, says of the group, “These men, spanning four generations, determine the future of Hennessy, its continuity and legacy.” Hennessy has long been an innovator, creating the V.S.O.P. and X.O. categories. It’s also a leader in super premium cognacs with Richard Hennessy, one of the world’s most exclusive marks with cognac aged from 40 to nearly 200 years, and Paradis Impérial, inspired by a blend ordered by Tsar Alexander I of Russia.