Hennessy VS

About this wine

Hennessy Very Special is a blended Cognac from the Cognac region of France made mainly from Ugni Blanc, the traditional grape of the appellation. turn0news12 The spirit is assembled from a large blend of eaux de vie selected by the house cellar masters, typically over 40 different eaux de vie, and those components are matured in oak before bottling. On the nose expect toasted almond, brown sugar and fresh baked toast, followed by floral and vine fruit notes such as apricot and pear. The palate is round and creamy with vanilla and spice from oak, a core of ripe stone fruit and a lasting warm finish. By law the youngest eaux de vie in a V.S blend are at least two years old, which gives this expression its youthful energy and bright fruit character. Hennessy positions this V.S as a bold and fragrant house blend that showcases the brand style, and it is one of the house’s most widely distributed expressions.

About the grape

Ugni Blanc, originally from Tuscany where it is known as Trebbiano, is the principal grape used by Hennessy and makes up the vast majority of Cognac plantings because it gives high acidity and low sugar that suit distillation. In the Hennessy VS blend Ugni Blanc grapes are harvested with precision, often mechanically, fermented to a thin, high acid wine and then transformed into eaux de vie through the required double distillation in Charentais copper stills. Its thin skins and disease resistance made it a practical choice through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and today it is prized by Hennessy for producing clean neutral base spirits that reveal terroir after oak ageing. For this bottling Ugni Blanc’s role is structural, providing the acidity and longevity that the master blender assembles from many crus and casks into a consistent VS expression.

Quick facts

• 🏺 Hennessy VS traces its lineage to a 19th century blend called Trois Etoiles which later became the modern VS name
• 🍇 The base grape for Hennessy VS is Ugni Blanc, a humble white grape that is prized for producing high acid eaux de vie used across the blend
• 🌃 Some Hennessy VS bottles have subtle luminescent details on the label so the logo and vines glow under certain lights in bars and nightclubs
• 🪵 Maison Hennessy ages much of the VS in Limousin oak casks that were seasoned outdoors for years to develop sweeter vanilla and toasted notes
• 🎨 Hennessy VS is routinely released as eye catching limited editions with artist designed bottles, celebrating everything from street art to the founder’s Irish heritage

Palate profile

Producer

Jas Hennessy & Co was founded in 1765 by Irish officer Richard Hennessy who settled on the quay of the Charente river in Cognac and established a trading house for eaux de vie. The house formed a lasting partnership with the Fillioux family of Master Blenders from the early 1800s, a lineage that has shaped its blends across many generations. Hennessy created the category defining X.O blend in 1870 and has long been one of the best known and largest cognac houses, with a global reputation for aging reserves and rare eaux de vie. The Maison still operates at its historic address in Cognac where visitors can tour the cellars, boutique and cooperage, and it remains closely associated with luxury collaborations and limited edition releases.