CH’NG Poh Tiong
The roots of the Hennessy saga reach back to 1765, when founder Richard Hennessy — an Irishman enlisted in the army of the French King Louis XV — resolved to take his destiny in hand and forge his own path.
To provide for his young family, he apprenticed to a merchant and immediately grasped the potential of the nascent eau-de-vie trade. He resolved to become not only a merchant himself, but a maker of outstanding cognacs, and settled on the quais of the Charente River in Cognac.
Richard Hennessy surrounded himself with gifted collaborators who would understand and support his vision. Foremost among these was his son, James, who established the Hennessy family’s partnership with the Fillioux family of Master Blenders. That move would prove prescient: Hennessy’s reputation flourished, its reserves of remarkable eaux-de-vie grew, and the House’s cognacs soon made their way to the royal courts of Europe and beyond.
Today, more than 250 years and eight generations later, the bond between the Hennessy and Fillioux families remains as strong as ever, a unique story in the world of spirits.
Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, 8th Generation Master Blender at Hennessy
Mathilde Boisseau, Director of Vine & Wine at Hennessy.
In 2016, Mathilde Boisseau became the first woman to be admitted into their famed Tasting Committee
Richard Hennessy • New Design
Maison Hennessy unveils a new design for Richard Hennessy, the rarest cognac in its collection and an exceptional tribute to its founder and history.
The exceptional blend is made from some of the scarcest eaux-de-vie in Hennessy’s reserves, carefully selected and preserved in The Founder’s Cellar on the family estate. For this reason, Richard Hennessy cognac has been crafted in an extremely limited quantity: 12 tierçons , a historic barrel handcrafted in French oak by generations of cooper masters at Hennessy’s own tonnellerie or barrel-making workshop.
The oldest cognac in the Founder’s Cellar is 1800
The new design of Richard Hennessy in Baccarat crystal, as well as ritual accessories (glasses, a fusil, and a tray) was crafted by Daniel Libeskind, the world-renowned architect.
He immersed himself in the richness of history and dedication to craft to produce a bottle that is as visionary as the man who inspired it. To capture the founder’s spirit, Libeskind started with a classic cognac bottle shape, imbuing the geometric, crystalline forms of Baccarat crystal with soft, organic curves that bring new energy and complexity to the cognac it contains.
The result is at once intuitive and unexpected: a monumental tribute to a pioneer.
“There is a complexity, process and structure to cognac, just as there is in architecture,” says Daniel Libeskind. “I am inspired by the interplay of history and the future — a particular magic happens when the two come together. And I relish bringing a myriad of ideas from different areas to the design process, because I believe it elevates and brings new meaning to design.”
Daniel Libeskind’s projects include the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, the Jewish Museum Berlin (Germany), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada), Crystals at City Center (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA), and the Museum of Zhang Zhidong (Wuhan, China).
Selected for their capacity to withstand the effects of time, eaux-de-vie with the rarest, most aromatic qualities have been blended with some remarkable younger eaux-de-vie to create the Richard Hennessy.
On the palate, it takes the senses by surprise, revealing a powerful, spicy taste and aromatic notes of leather and candied fruits. These, together with its persistent finish, evoke the adventurous soldier who grew into a visionary entrepreneur.
The Richard Hennessy blend – presented in its tribute coffret and decanter with accessories designed by Daniel Libeskind – is launched.
CH’NG Poh Tiong and Mathilde Boisseau, Director of Vine & Wine at Hennessy
