Hennessy V.S. Cognac 750ml

Hennessy traces its roots to 1765, when Richard Hennessy, an Irish officer who had served in the French army, settled with his family in the Charente region and opened a trading house with backing from Paris bankers. His Irish background gave him an edge in dealing with British buyers at a time when the spirits trade was booming, and the house he founded has since grown into the world's largest cognac producer. V.S traces its lineage to the original Hennessy Three-Star, first created in 1865.

The blend draws on more than forty different eaux-de-vie, selected by a tasting committee before final assembly by eighth-generation master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde. The spirits are aged a minimum of two years in French Limousin oak that has first been left outdoors for several seasons, a step meant to soften bitterness and encourage a natural vanilla sweetness before the wood ever touches the cognac.

Hennessy V.S pours a deep copper with amber reflections and opens with toasted oak, leather, and a touch of vanilla. The palate is rugged and spiced, built around cinnamon, clove, and baked apple with dried fruit running throughout, finishing with a moderately long, warming close. It works equally well sipped neat or as the backbone of a classic cognac cocktail.