History in a bottle
This year, one of the most enduring partnerships in history becomes decidedly grander. For a quarter of a millennium, the symbiosis between the Hennessy family and the Fillioux family has grown the tradition of Hennessy XO cognac to its world renowned status. With the Hennessy family at the helm and the Fillioux family serving as ‘guardians of the temple’, a long, unbroken tradition has seen seven generations of the Fillioux family being entrusted with the keys to the Hennessy cellars.
Yann Fillioux, the seventh in this illustrious line of Master Blenders, began his Hennessy career in 1966 before becoming Master Blender in 1991. This year, on his 50th year in the employ of Hennessy, he anoints his successor, Renaud Fillioux de Gironde – his nephew – who will be inducted as the 8th generation Master Blender. Mentored by the his uncle, Renaud has flourished in his 14 years as member of the Comite de Degustation (tasting committee) and will become the latest link in a chain which started in the early 1800s; when James Hennessy chose Jean Fillioux as his Master Blender.
To cap his half-a-century of service, Yann composed the Hennessy 8, a masterpiece cognac to symbolise eight generations of heritage and savoir faire. In what Yann refers to as ‘a Master Blender’s dream come true’ the Hennessy 8 contains eight eaux-de-vie, seven of which were hand-selected by Yann and the last by Renaud. Drawing from some of the most historically significant cognac stocks in Hennessy’s expansive cellar, Yann incorporated some extremely rare expressions created by the preceding Master Blenders at Hennessy, no small feat considering some of the stocks are over 200 years of age.
The carafe is also protected in a singularly magnificent chest, designed by artist and design maestro Arik Levy. Oak staves from La Sarrazine, Hennesy’s cooperage, are crafted into 25 layers (one for each decade of the maison’s history) while a copper inlay recalls the traditional alembic still, reflecting the particular craft of Hennessy. To round up the package are four tasting glasses designed by George Riedel and Yann 30 years ago, as well as a pipette of oak barrel wood, a cork holder and a numbered certificate signed by Yann.
