HENNESSY

The Hennessy cognac distillery was founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy, an Irish officer serving in the army of Louis XV, a maison that has always kept on innovating and creating to give birth to the world's finest cognacs. The iconic fist clutching a hatchet refers to founder Richard Hennessy's 12-year army career with the French, earning him French citizenship.

In 1865, Maurice Hennessy, great-grandson of founder Richard Hennessy, decided to create a cognac classification. He used varying numbers of stars to designate different quality, giving rise to Hennessy's Three Star Cognac, today known as V.S. (Very Special). Soon this classification was adopted by the entire industry.

Yann Fillioux

Every day, Yann Fillioux does what his family has done for the past 7 generations: taste and evaluate the eaux-de-vie that will make up some of the best cognacs in the world.

Yann Fillioux has been with Hennessy since 1966, and he is the 7th generation of his family to be with the Maison. Yann ensures that Hennessy cognacs remain true to their time-tested bouquet and flavor, and finds new blends to delight the world. Using the vast collection of spirits in the Founder's Cellar, Yann's blending expertise along with the other members of the tasting committee have given rise to cognacs with incredible complexity and nuances. Gilles Hennessy interviews Yann Fillioux: two members of families who together have maintained Hennessy quality for over 250 years, using an art of blending handed down through the generations: an expertise that involves a great reserve of spirits, creative know-how and, of course, an excellent "nose."