Hennessy

Richard Hennessy, an Irish aristocrat known for serving in the French army, founded an eaux-de-vie company in Cognac in 1765. Initially, Richard focused on producing brandy, which he then exported to Britain and his native Ireland, and in smaller quantities to the United States.

In 1813, Richard's son, James, renamed the company to its current name – Hennessy. Father and son employed Jean Fillioux as the Master Blender. This act marked the beginning of a business partnership and friendship between the two families that has lasted for eight generations and over 250 years.

In the early 19th century, Hennessy began its export era, primarily to North America, and later to other continents. By the early 1840s, Hennessy had become a global exporter of cognac, and by 1860, one in every four bottles of cognac sold worldwide came from this distillery. During these years, depending on the aging period in barrels, a star rating system was introduced for cognac. For the British court, the 'very superior old pale' cognac was created, and by the end of the century, XO was introduced – a cognac with a slightly longer aging process in barrels. The V.S.O.P. and XO labels are still known and used today.

In the early 1970s, Kilian Hennessy joined forces with the renowned champagne house Moët & Chandon to form the large company Moët Hennessy, which was later joined by Louis Vuitton, creating today's one of the largest global conglomerates, LVMH.

Today, Hennessy is the world leader in cognac production, selling over 50 million bottles annually. The V.S, V.S.O.P, X.O, Paradis, and Richard lines are simultaneously benchmarks of excellence worldwide and icons of sophistication and luxury.

Jas Hennessy & Co.

1 rue de la Richonne BP 20

16101 Cognac

France

http://www.hennessy.com/int-eu