Hennessy was founded in 1765 when Richard Hennessy, an Irish-born mercenary for King Louis XV, was compensated with land in Cognac, a city located in France.
Thanks to this reward, Richard created his business which initially consisted of sending liquor to his friends and relatives in Ireland. Subsequently, his son James expanded the business to include the production of cognac, a type of brandy made from white wine grapes grown in and around the city of Cognac, renaming the company James Hennessy & Co. Whose name still stands today. It´s worth mentioning that the distinctive flavor of Hennessy, as we already mentioned, originates from the Ugni Blanc Grape, a slightly fruity variety that is subjected to a double distillation in copper stills within the Maison Hennessy, which is mixed with life waters of four Grands Crus from the Grande Champagne region, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois.
On the other hand, this company has always been directed by the different generations of the family, currently is the eighth who directs it together with the seventh generation of the Fillioux family, however, its ownership has changed throughout the years, since in 1971 Hennessy merged with Moët & Chandon, and by 1987 this group merged with Louis Vuitton, yes, the luxury goods brand, thus creating Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, better known by its acronym as LVMH, a French multinational conglomerate based in Paris, owner of 76 renowned brands around the world divided into 5 sectors:
Wines and spirits
1. Ao Yun 2. Ardbeg 3. Belvedere 4. Bodega Numanthia 5. Cape Mentelle 6. Château Cheval Blanc 7. Château d’Yquem 8. Cheval des Andes 9. Clos des Lambrays 10. Cloudy Bay 11. Dom Pérignon 12. Glenmorangie 13. Hennessy 14. Krug 15. Mercier 16. Moët & Chandon 17. Newton Vineyard 18. Ruinart 19. Terrazas de los Andes 20. Veuve Clicquot 21. Volcan de mi Tierra 22. Woodinville
Leather and fashion items
Perfumes and cosmetics
Watches and jewelry
Retailers
It´s worth mentioning that the owner of this conglomerate is Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France and the 3rd richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine.
Finally, Hennessy has 12 varieties in its collection, which are:
Hennessy Very Special:
Which emerged in 1961 and is a blend of 40 waters of life aged for up to eight years, resulting in fruity and spicy flavors with almonds.
Hennessy Black:
This cognac emerged in 2009 with the aim of reaching the market places where cognac usually doesn´t reach, that´s cocktails. Is why it has floral flavors, such as daffodil, orange blossom and jasmine along with spaces of honey.
Hennessy Classivm
Is a cognac aged between 3 and 12 years that combines waters of life with a spicy flavor to form a new style of cognac. It´s worth mentioning that this cognac is mainly intended for the Chinese market.
Hennessy Pure White (Travelers exclusive):
Is a cognac that has characteristics of a floral bouquet, thanks to a mixture with a predominance of Fins Bois.
Hennessy V.S.O.P. Privilége:
It´s a blend of 60 waters of life aged for up to 15 years created at the request of the English crown, who in 1817 asked the Hennessy family to produce a Very Superior Old Pale cognac. This started the nomenclature that other brands would follow for the classification of their cognacs.
Hennessy Master Blender´s selection No. 4
It has the quality of being hand selected by master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde.
James Hennessy:
This cognac has shades of amber with hints of bronze and offers layers of soft, toasty aromas. It arose thanks to the fact that the Tasting Committee sought to pay tribute to one of its historical figures.
Hennessy X.O:
It is a mixture of 100 waters of life aged for up to 30 years, it was created in 1870 by Maurice Hennessy for the private consumption of the family and his closest friends and relatives.
Hennessy X.X.O (Travelers exclusive):
This cognac was first created in 1870 in conjunction with Hennessy X.O, when master blender Emile Fillioux set aside water of life with great potential. The result was such a significant find that was released worldwide starting in 1871. But in 2018 Yann Fillioux, seventh generation Master Blender, decided to recreate the Hennessy X.X.O. and this is how we currently have it.
Hennessy Paradis:
This cognac was created by Maurice Fillioux in 1979 and is known for its finely nuanced and harmoniously balanced aromatic qualities.
Hennessy Paradis Impérial:
It´s a cognac that represents the apogee of the Maison's art of selection, since only ten out of a total of ten thousand waters of life are considered worthy of someday belonging to this blend, in addition, the master blender determines the appropriate conditions for the aging, driving the water of life to its point of elegance.
Richard Hennessy
This cognac is described by Hennessy as the embodiment of Maison Hennessy's 250-year history, knowledge and experience, with a unique blend of exceptional and rare Waters of Life.
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