The world's most prestigious and enduring brand of cognac, Hennessy's reputation for excellence has remained strong for 250 years. Established in 1765, the iconic French, Irish cognac has an enduring legacy, adopted by a range cultures and consistently adapting to social and historical challenges. Inimitable, it is favoured by hip-hop's heaviest rap stars and royalty alike; from Tupac, Biggie and Snoop to Jay Z, Kanye and The Game, the very mention of this fiery, short drink within rap storytelling is a metaphor for baller spending and deluxe living. Today, Hennessy credits the cult success of the brand within African American social circles to the retired Olympic athlete-turned-beverage-salesman, Herbert Paul Douglas Jr.
First promoting the drink among his various social circles back in 1945, Douglas went on to dramatically increase the levels of black employees working within the company. Hennessy continues to pride itself on catering exclusively to lovers of good taste and the good life, regardless of social standing or background. It's a luxury investment, symbolic of freedom and style. Maintaining a heritage of Eaux-de-vie from seven generations of Master Blenders, Hennessy was founded by pioneer Richard Hennessy, and subsequently, his sons and successive generations of the family took the brand forward. The business decided very early on, to build the brand's reputation upon its success in exporting to other countries, expanding the Hennessy name to become a dominant global brand. Today this cognac is a phenomenon.
Currently performing the role of Hennessy's prestigious Master Blender, Renaud Filloux de Gironde aspires to guarantee the continuity of taste of the final product and to prepare the Eaux-de-vie of the future with a strong focus on quality in order to maintain the consistency of taste of Hennessy cognacs. Experimenting with artisan bottle designs, label illustrations and slogans, various collaborations with celebrated artists have characterised landmark anniversaries of the brand, including david+martin, Shepard Fairey, Kaws, Futura and Os Gemeos. Always maintaining the niche, understated, originality of the Hennessy aesthetic, we celebrate the timeless cognac's 250th birthday, raising a glass to chat with Renaud about the next centuries blending of Hennessy's future.
Why and how do you think the Hennessy brand has been able to successfully lead and has continued to influence the fast-paced generational evolution of the alcohol industry?
"Never Stop. Never Settle." That was originally used for a campaign for Hennessy Very Special, but it has somehow come to illustrate the DNA of Hennessy. The founder of Hennessy, Richard Hennessy, just like his son and the following generations of Hennessy leaders, were essentially pioneers. They decided very early to build their company on the success of exporting to other countries and to make Hennessy a global name. We are committed to continuing this success story and further grow Hennessy on a global scale. We're also committed to improving the quality of Hennessy cognacs and are developing from time to time new blends as well as limited edition blends. We always have the goal to never stop and just settle with what we have achieved, but to continue to surprise, to innovate, to create with a vision for the future.
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
The chance to work in an environment where quality and excellence are central. I am very passionate about working with exceptional Eaux-de-vie and to assure a long-term vision and continuity of quality.
How do you challenge the brand to continue to improve in taste and trend?
The challenge goes beyond Hennessy; it's a global vision of excellence that we need to transmit to the entire ecosystem around us, and that includes the winegrowers and distillers that we work with, as well as the barrel makers and many others. The strength of this house is to reinvent itself to bring the excellence of its products to the highest level. The important thing is to be able to align everyone on this vision, to share common objectives in order to continue to transmit to successive generations those that our ancestors passed on to us.
What is your earliest memory of tasting Hennessy?
There has always been a strong link with Hennessy in my family; we would always drink it at family occasions. Not only have eight generations of Hennessy Master Blenders come from the Fillioux family, but as wine growers, there has also been a long tradition of supplying Hennessy with Eaux-de-vie.
How did your childhood, growing up around the culture and heritage of Hennessy, shape your approach to leading the brand today?
Growing up in this region, watching the excitement of fall harvest, I naturally came to love it. Before becoming Master Blender, I was in charge of relations with our partnering wine-growers. This connection to the terroir and the wine-growers has helped set the foundation for my role as Master Blender today.
How did your uncle mentor you? What as the most valuable piece of advice he passed down to you?
Transmission of savoir-faire is essential for the role of Master Blender. More than one particular advice, my uncle has not only handed down his savoir-faire of tasting, selecting and blending, but he has instilled in me a true passion for this profession. More than 15 years of training by his side have prepared me for this role and have given me the necessary courage to take on the extraordinary challenge to prepare today the legacy of the future for Hennessy.
When reflecting on the heritage of Hennessy, what did the family consider to be its proudest achievements?
The Filloux family has worked alongside the Hennessy family for more than 200 years and eight generations. I am proud of the legacy of excellence that my predecessors have built through continuity and an uncompromising commitment to quality, and therefore to have contributed to the success of Hennessy in the world.
What are the most remarkable and lesser-known moments of the Hennessy timeline that you're able to share with us?
During the Phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century, more than 80% of all of the vineyards in Cognac were destroyed. Maurice Hennessy and his son, James Hennessy, were very engaged in finding solutions and invested heavily in research to find new resistible grape varieties and to bring back cognac production. To this day, Hennessy has maintained this engagement in fighting wine diseases.
What qualities do you look for when employing new members of the Hennessy work family?
They should be passionate about Eaux-de-vie, willing to make a commitment to Hennessy's vision of quality and excellence.
The brand is committed to quality and creativity. How do you ensure that you remain committed to pushing the vision of Hennessy forward, to supersede your competitors?
We are always challenging ourselves, with a long-term vision. This goes hand-in-hand with our values. Hennessy has been able to keep the delicate balance between traditional craftsmanship and industrial production and between transmission and innovation. We're committed to growth and technological innovation, but always by respecting our values of transmission of savoir-faire and uncompromising excellence.
What flavours are the signature tastes of Hennessy and how did these come to be discovered?
Each Hennessy cognac has its own strong personality. What is important for Hennessy is to have a diversity of Eaux-de-vie with a strong potential and their own characteristics and elegance which allow us to create these different cognacs.
Can you expand on the history of the Hennessy barrels and the role they play in each blend’s taste?
Barrels play a very important role in the maturation process. Our quality criteria for the barrels are very high. We use French oak barrels only and chose only the best for our Eaux-de-vie. According to the nature of the Eaux-de-vie, we decide which type of barrel we use for the maturation. A new barrel will give tannins to the Eaux-de-vie and shape its strong personality; for a more delicate Eaux-de-vie, we prefer an old barrel to preserve its delicacy and bring out its elegance.
What unique soils, climates and environmental conditions benefit the grapes in Cognac?
The main grape variety used for cognac is Ugni Blanc, a white grape also known as Trebbiano. We have the elements in which it grows best: a chalky soil and a climate that benefits from the influence of the ocean, but not a direct influence and with winters that are not too cold and summers not too warm. This produces acidic Trebbiano grapes, which make a perfect wine for our traditional distillation process.
What qualities define a superior cognac?
There is not a unique quality of cognac, but many different styles. To make good Eaux-de-vie, the wines need to be perfect. Eaux-de-vie with a great personality and elegance will become exceptional cognacs.
What qualities define you as a superior Master Blender, in your opinion?
Rigour and a sense of perfectionism are indispensable for me, as much as a passion for quality and a lot of patience.
