Jas Hennessy & Co., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of
cognac, which has its
headquarters
Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
in
Cognac, France
Cognac (; Saintongese: ''Cougnat''; oc, Conhac ) is a commune in the Charente department, southwestern France. Administratively, the commune of Cognac is a subprefecture of the Charente department.
Name
The name is believed to be formed from ...
.
It is one of the "big four" cognac houses, along with
Martell,
Courvoisier, and
Rémy Martin, who together make around 85% of the world's cognac. Hennessy sells approximately 70 million bottles of its cognacs per year,
making it the world's largest cognac producer, and in 2017 its sales represented around 60% of the US cognac market.
As well as distilling cognac
''eaux-de-vie'' itself, the company also acts as a ''
negociant''.
The brand is owned by
Moët Hennessy, which is in turn owned by
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
(66%) and
Diageo
Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...
(34%), who act as a non-controlling shareholder. Hennessy pioneered several industry-standard practices in the world of cognac, and its association with luxury has made it a regular point of reference in popular culture, especially in
hip hop.
History
The Hennessy cognac
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
was founded by
Irish Jacobite
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
military officer
Richard Hennessy in 1765, who had served in the army of
Louis XV.
He retired to the
Cognac region, and began distilling and exporting brandies, first to the United Kingdom and his native Ireland, closely followed by the United States.
In 1813 Richard Hennessy's son James Hennessy gave the company its trading name, Jas Hennessy & Co. He was also responsible for choosing Jean Fillioux as the house's Master Blender. A member of the Fillioux family has occupied the role ever since, a relationship that has lasted eight generations and more than 250 years.
Hennessy became the world's leading exporter of brandy in the 1840s, a status it has never lost.
By 1860, it represented one out of every four bottles of cognac sold internationally. Hennessy also instituted several of the conventions now used across the cognac industry. It was one of the first marques to sell bottles rather than casks of cognac, a process that helped it survive the
Great French Wine Blight
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
in the mid-nineteenth century.
It was also the first cognac house to use star ratings, and the gradings
V.S.O.P. and
XO, which are today used by most other cognac producers.
The V.S.O.P. designation was first applied in 1817, when the Prince Regent (later
King George IV) of Britain asked Hennessy to create a "very superior old pale" cognac, a description that had previously been applied to sherries.
Maurice Hennessy, the grandson of Richard Hennessy, then introduced a star-based classification of cognac qualities in 1865 (a system simultaneously adopted by Hennessy's competitor
Martell), which remained the industry standard of cognac age designation until the 1960s.
Maurice Hennessy also created the
XO ("extra old") designation in 1870, for cognacs which had undergone prolonged
cask maturation.
In 1944
Kilian Hennessy, a fifth-generation direct descendant of Richard Hennessy, began assisting his cousin Maurice Hennessy in running the business.
Killian Hennessy had intended to be a banker, but instead went on to position Hennessy as an international brand, travelling to Ireland, the United States and Asia to promote the brand.
He first visited China in 1946, and the nation has since become the world's second-largest cognac market. In 1947, Hennessy's business relationship with
Martell also came to a close, after the death of Maurice Firino-Martell.
Hennessy has also become a key part of major luxury
conglomerates. In 1971 Killian Hennessy spearheaded the company's merger with
Moët et Chandon, to create
Moët Hennessy.
Moët Hennessy then announced a merger with
Louis Vuitton in 1987, creating the world's largest
luxury brand conglomerate
Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to:
* Conglomerate (company)
* Conglomerate (geology)
* Conglomerate (mathematics)
In popular culture:
* The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes
** Co ...
,
Louis Vuitton • Moët-Hennessy or
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
.
In 1988, a management crisis led to the group's takeover by
Bernard Arnault, owner of the
haute couture
''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...
house
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...
, with the support of the
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
brewery group.
The so-called "LVMH affair" was so controversial in France that French President
François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
referenced it in a televised address.
Kilian Hennessy remained on the company's
advisory board
An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...
until his death in 2010 at the age of 103.
An eighth generation representative of the Hennessy dynasty, Maurice-Richard Hennessy, acts as one of the brand's global ambassadors. He had originally trained as a farmer before entering the family business.
From 2018 onward, Hennessy experienced production shortages caused in part by increased demand, bottle shortages, and frosts.
Marketing
Hennessy holds the largest collection of cognac
''eaux-de-vie'' in the world, with more than 470,000 casks in its cellars.
Through a process of blending and maturation of varying lengths, it makes several distinct gradings of cognac. As well as its V.S and V.S.O.P. gradings, which make up the majority of its sales, Hennessy is known for expensive specialist cognacs, some of which are still blended by the Fillioux family.
Limited editions of Hennessy can contain more than one hundred different ''
eaux-de-vie
An ''eau de vie'' (French for spirit, §16, §17 literally " water of life") is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light.
In English-speaking ...
,'' some of which can be centuries old; they are traditionally accompanied with luxurious trimmings such as custom-made boxes and hand-blown carafes. A bottle of Richard Hennessy, for example, is priced at around USD$7,000, and comes in a
Baccarat crystal decanter with matching glasses, a fusil, and a tray, all designed by the architect
Daniel Libeskind
Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect.
He is known for the design a ...
.
Since 2009, Hennessy has released a number of collectible editions to mark anniversaries, special occasions, or collaborations with artists, designers and organisations, such as the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. It has collaborated with
Zhang Enli
Zhang Enli () was born 1965 in Jilin Province, China, is a professional artist living and working in Shanghai. He graduated from the Arts & Design Institute of Wuxi Technical University, China in 1989, and teaches at the Arts and Design Institute ...
,
Les Twins,
Refik Anadol
Refik Anadol (born 1985) is a Turkish-American new media artist and designer. His projects consist of data-driven machine learning algorithms that create abstract, dream-like environments. He lives and works in Los Angeles.
Early life and educati ...
,
Kaws and
Marc Newson among others.
Hennessy is also used as an ingredient in
cocktails and mixed drinks, and is commonly served in nightclubs and bars.
The company has launched a number of new products aimed at this on-premises market, including Pure White, Hennessy Black and Fine de Cognac, and promoted them accordingly. The rapper
Nas has acted as a brand ambassador for the brand.
Hennessy has a substantial consumer base among
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, who drink the majority of the cognac consumed in the United States. Accordingly, the brand has also marketed itself with initiatives around black entrepreneurship and
Black History Month.
Products
* Hennessy V.S
* Privilége V.S.O.P
* Hennessy X.O
* Hennessy X.X.O
* Hennessy Master Blender's selection
* Hennessy Paradis
* Richard Hennessy
* James Hennessy
* Hennessy Paradis Imperial
* Hennessy 8
* Hennessy Timeless
* Hennessy Ellipse
* Hennessy Black
* Hennessy Pure White
* Hennessy Classivm
* Hennessy Fine de Cognac
Collectors' bottles
In popular culture
Hennessy has a long-standing relationship with
African American culture, especially hip hop.
It has been described as "synonymous with rap music and African Americans, who are the brand’s major consumers and advocates".
While music, especially the 1992
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
song "Hennessy" has been credited with popularising the drink, some historians have pointed to a much older relationship, which began when African American servicemen encountered cognac in France during
World War I and
World War II.
Hennessy has actively pursued this consumer group for decades. It targeted minority audiences as early as the 1950s, when it placed advertisements in African American magazines like
''Ebony'' and
''Jet'', used African American models, and hired African American employees.
By some estimates more than two thirds of Hennessy sold in the United States is consumed by African Americans. It is sometimes referred to as "Henny".
Hennessy appears frequently in the lyrics of popular music, and by one estimate the words "Hennessy" or "cognac" are referenced in more than 1,000 songs.
Some notable examples include "
KC Tea" (2010) by
Tech N9ne, "Hennessey" (1992) by
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, "
Hennesey n Buddah
"Hennesey'n Buddah" is a song from American rapper Snoop Dogg from his fifth album, ''Tha Last Meal''. It was produced by Dr. Dre and Michael Elizondo
Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instru ...
" (2000) by
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, "Hennessy" (2021) by Kodoku , "
Love Scars" (2017) by
Trippie Redd, "
We Be Burnin'" (2005) by
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists.
Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
, "
Boombayah" by
K-pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
group
Blackpink, "
The Humpty Dance" (1990) by
Digital Underground, "Pass Me Da Green" by
Master P (1997), "Moodz" by
Blackbear, "Red Bull & Hennessy" by
Jenny Lewis, "
6 Inch" by
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, "
Blame It" by
Jamie Foxx, "Henny & Gingerale" by
Mayer Hawthorne, "Whistle" by
D-Block Europe, "
Better Now
"Better Now" is a song by American rapper and singer Post Malone from his second studio album, ''Beerbongs & Bentleys'' (2018). It was written by Post Malone, Billy Walsh, Louis Bell and Frank Dukes, with production handled by the latter two. Th ...
" and " Rockstar (ft.
21 Savage
Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...
)" by
Post Malone. The cognac is referenced in the chorus of the
Drake single "
One Dance" (2016), which reached #1 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The Rap duo
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
also wear Hennessy jerseys in their music video for their 1995 single "
Shook Ones (Part II)".
In a 2019 interview with the ''
South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'', Maurice-Richard Hennessy said that “the word ‘Hennessy’ goes well in a song", and disclosed that he had met several rap artists, who he thought were "nice people". He told the paper that "they often come from poor backgrounds and ask me about recommendations, how to drink it, how it’s made.”
Hennessy is the drink of choice for Blues musician Del Paxton in the movie ''
That Thing You Do
''That'' is an English language word used for several grammatical purposes. These include use as an adjective, conjunction, pronoun, adverb, and intensifier; it has distance from the speaker, as opposed to words like ''this''. The word did not ori ...
!'' In the
James Bond film ''
On Her Majesty's Secret Service On Her Majesty's Secret Service may refer to:
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (novel), a 1963 novel by Ian Fleming
* ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (film), a 1969 film adaptation of the novel
** ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (sou ...
'', Bond, rescued by a
St. Bernard in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, curtly dismisses the dog and tells him to bring five star Hennessy.
At the
2009 VMAs interruption,
Kanye West was reportedly intoxicated after drinking Hennessy and other various alcoholic drinks before his infamous interruption of
Taylor Swift.
Hennessy Literary Awards
Hennessy sponsors the New Irish Writing competition in the ''
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'', and the associated annual Hennessy Literary Award, that has launched such Irish writers as
Joseph O'Connor,
Dermot Bolger,
Colm Ó Clúbhán
Colm Ó Clúbhán (1954 – March 1989), also known as Colm Clifford, was an Irish playwright, author, and LGBT rights activist.
Background
Ó Clúbhán was born in Dublin in 1954. His mother was Sheila Marie Eady and his father was the poet a ...
,
Patrick McCabe,
Colum McCann,
Frank McGuinness,
Anne Enright,
Hugo Hamilton,
Dermot Healy and
Neil Jordan.
Notable consumers
Hennessy was the favourite drink of
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...
, former
Supreme Leader of North Korea
The supreme leader () of North Korea is the ''de facto'' paramount leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. The title has not been written into the national constitution as a separate office, but it currentl ...
. Hennessy once reported that Kim spent over $700,000 a year on Paradis cognac.
Notes
References
{{Authority control
1765 establishments in France
Distilleries in France
Cognac
LVMH brands
French brands
Food and drink companies established in 1765
Diageo brands
French companies established in 1765
Hennessy family