Hennessy's Heritage

Maurice Hennessy proudly bears the banner of his family’s iconic 250-year-old cognac brand.

- Shauna Jay Popple Williams

When we were young, we would get a drop of cognac on a cube of sugar,” Maurice Hennessy reminisces over luncheon. His early exposure to the golden-hued libation, was somewhat ambivalent—as initial reactions go. “I can’t say that I hated it because it was a small drop and it was sweet and wonderful because of the sugar. But I won’t lie to you: I didn’t really enjoy cognac until I was 23, which was when I started getting very involved in the job and drinking it with those who taught me much about it.”

A name of such omnipresence in the world of fine wines and spirits hardly needs an introduction. Yet, Maurice loves to tell the story. Born in Neuilly, the distinguished Frenchman is an eighth-generation member of the famed family that founded the cognac maison in 1765. Founding father Richard, who was of Irish descent, built his brandy empire on what the rich 75-hectare Cognac terroir had to offer.

“In the mid-18th century, the business of cognac wasn’t so specialised as it is now. It was Richard who did the tasting of the cognac he purchased from the market,” explains Maurice. “He’d ship the barrels back where he would then age and blend them till they expressed their full potential.”

In 1850, the gifted Jean Fillioux offered his tasting and blending services to Richard and eventually became the head of the cooperage—or what is known as the Master Cooper. As such, the Hennessy-Fillioux tandem, much like cognac ageing in a barrel, has improved through the centuries, creating a symbiosis that is unshakeable.

Since its establishment more than 250 years ago, the maison has never stopped reinventing itself. Driven by their passion for the exceptional, the two families share this adventure, relentlessly thriving for perfection and always ready to face new challenges.