Rewrite
It’s all in the blend: Features Editor Ben Tibbits makes his way to Southern France to visit Cognac, immersing himself in the past, present and future of brandy Maison Hennessy.
A gentle haze of fog disperses, and Southern France comes into view, increasing in clarity as my flight approaches its landing. Great plains of greenery and estuaries of water lie beneath as I rub my tired eyes and drown the last drops of a tepid black coffee, yawning broadly. It’s nearly 9:30am in Bordeaux, an hour earlier in London, where Gatwick waved me off 90 or so minutes earlier. The cantankerously premature start though, seems worth it now, as the plane’s wheels touch down on the runway. I’m in for quite the adventure in the next 48 hours.
“Hennessy is older than the USA,” my PR companion for the next two days tells me, much to the blowing of my uneducated mind, as we await our driver. The iconic drinks brand is the reason for my visit—destination Cognac, the home of Henny. I’ll be receiving an in-depth tour of where it all began hundreds of years ago, witnessing how the brand remains at the cutting edge of technology with their astounding VR experience, checking out their visionary new Hennessy X.O Collection collaboration with esteemed French artist Florian Zumbrunn, and—of course—taking in some of Cognac’s finest eateries.
The Maison sure knows how to woo a journalist. Chauffeured up the Autoroute from Bordeaux airport in a classy and congenial Mercedes Benz, the two hour journey flies by, as I’m beguiled by the vast hectares of vineyards that sprawl in every direction, ubiquitous across the region. Cognac, upon arrival, is a snapshot of another time. Its architecture is antiquated, seemingly untouched from a period prior, with cobbled streets and charmfully dilapidated buildings being our surroundings as the car nears the town’s centric river—and Hennessy HQ.
Thanking the kindly driver, we step out into a light drizzle to be greeted by our hosts and escorted straight into a stylish dining room for a spot of well-needed lunch; an amalgamation of traditional hors d’oeuvres—beef tartare, breads, cheeses—accompanied by a fine red. We’re eating in the building where it all began, I’m told, some 260 years ago in 1765 when Irish military officer and businessman Richard Hennessy first opened the estate’s doors and filled its barrels. Since, the empire has been passed down through eight generations of the brand’s eponymous family, until the last of the dynasty died in the 1960s. In the modern day, Hennessy looks beyond its bloodline for its ménage, and is more prosperous than ever for it.
Following lunch, we join with a wider party of Cognac visitors for a formal tour of the properties. A short bus ride takes us to the cellars just across the river, where we are guided through a showcase of heritage. There’s a fascinating video about the company’s origins, covering all from Richard’s early motivations to the company’s later globalisation throughout the 19th century, up until the modern identity of what we know as Hennessy today. We’re given a detailed look at the actual production of the cognac, which can only be made in this region due to the specifications of where the grape can be grown. It’s a complex process, two levels of distillation, that requires layers of science that are beyond my immediate comprehension; a reminder of life’s gorgeous intricacy.
How does Hennessy always taste so good, and be so consistent in its flavour? Well, that’d be thanks to the distill committee. Seven individuals who train their whole life to be among the most significant cogs in the Maison’s ever-turning machine, who at 11am every day test the Cognac’s look, smell and taste. As for the meticulous maintenance of the cognac, all barrels are derived from oak at least 85 years old. Each tree they cut down, the estate plants three afresh.
With information zipping around my brain, it’s time for a left-field turn—a recent augmentation, the VR experience. Entitled MOBILIS, the 19 minute odyssey is a trip-laden dive into the history and DNA of the brand, inspired by Richard Hennessy’s own sketches from 1765, and brought to life by French artists Olivier Kuntzel & Florence Deygas. The actuality of what is witnessed is tricky to put into words, but just picture: storming down a monochrome cartoon river accompanied by a coterie of Michelin Man-looking fellas who are made out of barrels. I’m a changed man after it, I tell you that for free.
After such engrossing mind-bending, a gentler grounding through the cellars is much obliged, as we marvel at boundless rooms full of seemingly endless barrels of eau-de-vie—the unblended, clear-coloured cognac. Ensuing the cellar’s damp immersion, we hop back on the bus, avoiding the rain’s tempestuousness, and into the shop area for some tasting—finally! We try the VS, the most popular cognac and the VSOP, which is aged for at least four years. Taste-tastic!
We part ways with the wider group and depart straight off for some more Henny-related fun. We meet JB, one of the Maison’s revered coopers, who make the barrels for the distilling of the alcohol. He’s a modest and unassuming man, passionate about a craft that he studied for years in order to undertake it as his profession. He amiably takes us step-by-step through the multi-dimensional and highly difficult process, even making the demonstration interactive as we give some of the simpler steps a go ourselves. Next, there’s more archaic barrels to look at, checking out the founders cellar—an entrance into history, as the tour guide says. It’s a cold, dark and visceral experience, seeing barrels of brandy that date back to 1800.
Following a look at the past, we take a glance at the future. The Maison’s new collaboration with Florian Zumbrunn was one of the main attractions of our visit, and it refuses to disappoint. The artist, a trailblazer in generative art who studied at Paris’ revered visual arts school Les Gobelins and whose works have been shown at exhibitions across the globe, feels a natural choice for the groundbreaking concept, one in which he immersed himself within from the very genesis of the collaboration. “Hennessy approached me with a bold concept,” the artist told me in the days after my trip. “Using a robot to draw directly on a Hennessy X.O’s second skin bottle shell, making each of them completely unique and personalised. I was immediately intrigued by the technical challenges and the innovation behind the project, which fuelled my creativity.”
Although “collaborations aren’t something I jump into lightly,” Zumbrunn took a trip to Cognac, cementing his respect for Hennessy and his desire to work alongside them. “I learned about the Maison’s history, their state-of-art creative process, and even toured some of their facilities, like their iconic cooperage, one of the last traditional ones in Europe. Seeing how eaux-de-vie are aged in barrels for years and then blended together was a revelation. Multiple elements merge to create a single, timeless blend—this directly inspired the generative approach for my series.”
The partnership saw Zumbrunn draw on his previous practice of the coalition between the physical and the digital, the modernistic and the traditional. “In my everyday practice in generative art, I begin by working at my computer but finish in my studio,” he explains. “I like to say I ‘paint with code,’ because I spend about 70% of my time at a keyboard, exploring ideas and concepts much faster than I could with purely traditional methods. While developing my algorithm, I introduce a lot of randomness so that surprises happen and unexpected ideas emerge. It’s a constant dialogue between the code, the evolving program, and myself. I also experiment with pencils, oil sticks, and other traditional tools, and that blend of digital and physical approaches felt very natural for me. For this partnership with Hennessy, I wanted to do something similar. We created 40 unique pieces, personalised second skin cases of the iconic Hennessy X.O decanters, along with fine art matching prints —two different mediums but both expressions of the same algorithm. This duality is a new direction for me and a fascinating one. Generative art dates back to the 1960s, but it’s evolving rapidly, and artists are constantly debating how best to represent it. This collaboration offers fresh insights: maybe code is the ‘true source’ of everything, yet its physical manifestations can be just as meaningful.”
It’s a joy to witness in real life; the algorithmic process develops into a vibrant and unique bottle that buyers can take home, a one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia, accompanied by a painted canvas, built from a collaboration of forward-thinkers in their respective fields. “Like them, I want to build upon what came before while adding my own perspective and techniques. Working with Hennessy felt like a natural fit: we’re both pushing boundaries, yet we still honour the legacy that got us here.”
Back to Cognac, and after a busy day of learning and tasting, the hotel beckons. Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa is a dazzling location, charming on the eye, sharp on the detail and luxurious in its decor. After a rest, we have dinner (I have the fish) and wine, and see out the evening chatting merrily on the event-filled day we’ve had.
Dawn breaks, and with it the opportunity to visit the spa for a swim and steam. Revitalised, we head for lunch at a delightful Cognac eatery (I had the fish again, when in Rome as they say). Next, to today’s premium activity, a visit to the Château de Bagnolet. The country house estate is a crowning jewel in the Hennessy dynasty, and you can understand why. Built in 1810, August Hennessy—the grandson of the founder—bought the house for his wife in 1841 after she wrote a kindly letter asking him to, which is framed in the house itself. The estate was passed down through generations of Hennessy as the family’s home base, until 1963 when the last of the family passed, leaving it to the company. It has since played host to an eclectic array of celebrities, public figures and royalty, sprawling across seven acres of grounds on the banks of the Charente River, splendidly untouched from its centuries of history.
We spend a glorious few hours exploring the house and tasting various of the Maison’s cognacs alongside some sweet treats. The rich heritage of the establishment sweeps over me as the brandy hits the back of my throat and I survey the annals of the past around me, savouring every second of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Full of gratitude and Hennessy X.O., we’re told our car has arrived. Next stop—Bordeaux airport.
The drive begins in jovial fashion, but soon trails into fatigue and reflection. I’ve spent less than two days in this decadent crevice of France, but most certainly fell in love with its allure. Hennessy is one of the Western world’s most recognisable brands, but its complexity and character behind the curtain leaves the imagination twinkling. With a past that bustles with pedigree, a present that prolongs and prospers, and a future that promises invention and innovation, the Maison’s legacy will only continue to grow.
As the sunsets and my plane rises, the fields of vineyards become mere dots of history, of memory, of understanding. And I think to myself: this life is truly without limit, to those who know where to source its unwritten potential.
For more on Hennessy, visit here.
For more A Trip To…’, visit here.
Words – Ben Tibbits
in HTML format, including tags, to make it appealing and easy to read for Japanese-speaking readers aged 20 to 40 interested in fashion. Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), translating all text, including headings, into Japanese. Retain any existing
tags from
It’s all in the blend: Features Editor Ben Tibbits makes his way to Southern France to visit Cognac, immersing himself in the past, present and future of brandy Maison Hennessy.
A gentle haze of fog disperses, and Southern France comes into view, increasing in clarity as my flight approaches its landing. Great plains of greenery and estuaries of water lie beneath as I rub my tired eyes and drown the last drops of a tepid black coffee, yawning broadly. It’s nearly 9:30am in Bordeaux, an hour earlier in London, where Gatwick waved me off 90 or so minutes earlier. The cantankerously premature start though, seems worth it now, as the plane’s wheels touch down on the runway. I’m in for quite the adventure in the next 48 hours.
“Hennessy is older than the USA,” my PR companion for the next two days tells me, much to the blowing of my uneducated mind, as we await our driver. The iconic drinks brand is the reason for my visit—destination Cognac, the home of Henny. I’ll be receiving an in-depth tour of where it all began hundreds of years ago, witnessing how the brand remains at the cutting edge of technology with their astounding VR experience, checking out their visionary new Hennessy X.O Collection collaboration with esteemed French artist Florian Zumbrunn, and—of course—taking in some of Cognac’s finest eateries.
The Maison sure knows how to woo a journalist. Chauffeured up the Autoroute from Bordeaux airport in a classy and congenial Mercedes Benz, the two hour journey flies by, as I’m beguiled by the vast hectares of vineyards that sprawl in every direction, ubiquitous across the region. Cognac, upon arrival, is a snapshot of another time. Its architecture is antiquated, seemingly untouched from a period prior, with cobbled streets and charmfully dilapidated buildings being our surroundings as the car nears the town’s centric river—and Hennessy HQ.
Thanking the kindly driver, we step out into a light drizzle to be greeted by our hosts and escorted straight into a stylish dining room for a spot of well-needed lunch; an amalgamation of traditional hors d’oeuvres—beef tartare, breads, cheeses—accompanied by a fine red. We’re eating in the building where it all began, I’m told, some 260 years ago in 1765 when Irish military officer and businessman Richard Hennessy first opened the estate’s doors and filled its barrels. Since, the empire has been passed down through eight generations of the brand’s eponymous family, until the last of the dynasty died in the 1960s. In the modern day, Hennessy looks beyond its bloodline for its ménage, and is more prosperous than ever for it.
Following lunch, we join with a wider party of Cognac visitors for a formal tour of the properties. A short bus ride takes us to the cellars just across the river, where we are guided through a showcase of heritage. There’s a fascinating video about the company’s origins, covering all from Richard’s early motivations to the company’s later globalisation throughout the 19th century, up until the modern identity of what we know as Hennessy today. We’re given a detailed look at the actual production of the cognac, which can only be made in this region due to the specifications of where the grape can be grown. It’s a complex process, two levels of distillation, that requires layers of science that are beyond my immediate comprehension; a reminder of life’s gorgeous intricacy.
How does Hennessy always taste so good, and be so consistent in its flavour? Well, that’d be thanks to the distill committee. Seven individuals who train their whole life to be among the most significant cogs in the Maison’s ever-turning machine, who at 11am every day test the Cognac’s look, smell and taste. As for the meticulous maintenance of the cognac, all barrels are derived from oak at least 85 years old. Each tree they cut down, the estate plants three afresh.
With information zipping around my brain, it’s time for a left-field turn—a recent augmentation, the VR experience. Entitled MOBILIS, the 19 minute odyssey is a trip-laden dive into the history and DNA of the brand, inspired by Richard Hennessy’s own sketches from 1765, and brought to life by French artists Olivier Kuntzel & Florence Deygas. The actuality of what is witnessed is tricky to put into words, but just picture: storming down a monochrome cartoon river accompanied by a coterie of Michelin Man-looking fellas who are made out of barrels. I’m a changed man after it, I tell you that for free.
After such engrossing mind-bending, a gentler grounding through the cellars is much obliged, as we marvel at boundless rooms full of seemingly endless barrels of eau-de-vie—the unblended, clear-coloured cognac. Ensuing the cellar’s damp immersion, we hop back on the bus, avoiding the rain’s tempestuousness, and into the shop area for some tasting—finally! We try the VS, the most popular cognac and the VSOP, which is aged for at least four years. Taste-tastic!
We part ways with the wider group and depart straight off for some more Henny-related fun. We meet JB, one of the Maison’s revered coopers, who make the barrels for the distilling of the alcohol. He’s a modest and unassuming man, passionate about a craft that he studied for years in order to undertake it as his profession. He amiably takes us step-by-step through the multi-dimensional and highly difficult process, even making the demonstration interactive as we give some of the simpler steps a go ourselves. Next, there’s more archaic barrels to look at, checking out the founders cellar—an entrance into history, as the tour guide says. It’s a cold, dark and visceral experience, seeing barrels of brandy that date back to 1800.
Following a look at the past, we take a glance at the future. The Maison’s new collaboration with Florian Zumbrunn was one of the main attractions of our visit, and it refuses to disappoint. The artist, a trailblazer in generative art who studied at Paris’ revered visual arts school Les Gobelins and whose works have been shown at exhibitions across the globe, feels a natural choice for the groundbreaking concept, one in which he immersed himself within from the very genesis of the collaboration. “Hennessy approached me with a bold concept,” the artist told me in the days after my trip. “Using a robot to draw directly on a Hennessy X.O’s second skin bottle shell, making each of them completely unique and personalised. I was immediately intrigued by the technical challenges and the innovation behind the project, which fuelled my creativity.”
Although “collaborations aren’t something I jump into lightly,” Zumbrunn took a trip to Cognac, cementing his respect for Hennessy and his desire to work alongside them. “I learned about the Maison’s history, their state-of-art creative process, and even toured some of their facilities, like their iconic cooperage, one of the last traditional ones in Europe. Seeing how eaux-de-vie are aged in barrels for years and then blended together was a revelation. Multiple elements merge to create a single, timeless blend—this directly inspired the generative approach for my series.”
The partnership saw Zumbrunn draw on his previous practice of the coalition between the physical and the digital, the modernistic and the traditional. “In my everyday practice in generative art, I begin by working at my computer but finish in my studio,” he explains. “I like to say I ‘paint with code,’ because I spend about 70% of my time at a keyboard, exploring ideas and concepts much faster than I could with purely traditional methods. While developing my algorithm, I introduce a lot of randomness so that surprises happen and unexpected ideas emerge. It’s a constant dialogue between the code, the evolving program, and myself. I also experiment with pencils, oil sticks, and other traditional tools, and that blend of digital and physical approaches felt very natural for me. For this partnership with Hennessy, I wanted to do something similar. We created 40 unique pieces, personalised second skin cases of the iconic Hennessy X.O decanters, along with fine art matching prints —two different mediums but both expressions of the same algorithm. This duality is a new direction for me and a fascinating one. Generative art dates back to the 1960s, but it’s evolving rapidly, and artists are constantly debating how best to represent it. This collaboration offers fresh insights: maybe code is the ‘true source’ of everything, yet its physical manifestations can be just as meaningful.”
It’s a joy to witness in real life; the algorithmic process develops into a vibrant and unique bottle that buyers can take home, a one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia, accompanied by a painted canvas, built from a collaboration of forward-thinkers in their respective fields. “Like them, I want to build upon what came before while adding my own perspective and techniques. Working with Hennessy felt like a natural fit: we’re both pushing boundaries, yet we still honour the legacy that got us here.”
Back to Cognac, and after a busy day of learning and tasting, the hotel beckons. Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa is a dazzling location, charming on the eye, sharp on the detail and luxurious in its decor. After a rest, we have dinner (I have the fish) and wine, and see out the evening chatting merrily on the event-filled day we’ve had.
Dawn breaks, and with it the opportunity to visit the spa for a swim and steam. Revitalised, we head for lunch at a delightful Cognac eatery (I had the fish again, when in Rome as they say). Next, to today’s premium activity, a visit to the Château de Bagnolet. The country house estate is a crowning jewel in the Hennessy dynasty, and you can understand why. Built in 1810, August Hennessy—the grandson of the founder—bought the house for his wife in 1841 after she wrote a kindly letter asking him to, which is framed in the house itself. The estate was passed down through generations of Hennessy as the family’s home base, until 1963 when the last of the family passed, leaving it to the company. It has since played host to an eclectic array of celebrities, public figures and royalty, sprawling across seven acres of grounds on the banks of the Charente River, splendidly untouched from its centuries of history.
We spend a glorious few hours exploring the house and tasting various of the Maison’s cognacs alongside some sweet treats. The rich heritage of the establishment sweeps over me as the brandy hits the back of my throat and I survey the annals of the past around me, savouring every second of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Full of gratitude and Hennessy X.O., we’re told our car has arrived. Next stop—Bordeaux airport.
The drive begins in jovial fashion, but soon trails into fatigue and reflection. I’ve spent less than two days in this decadent crevice of France, but most certainly fell in love with its allure. Hennessy is one of the Western world’s most recognisable brands, but its complexity and character behind the curtain leaves the imagination twinkling. With a past that bustles with pedigree, a present that prolongs and prospers, and a future that promises invention and innovation, the Maison’s legacy will only continue to grow.
As the sunsets and my plane rises, the fields of vineyards become mere dots of history, of memory, of understanding. And I think to myself: this life is truly without limit, to those who know where to source its unwritten potential.
For more on Hennessy, visit here.
For more A Trip To…’, visit here.
Words – Ben Tibbits
and integrate them seamlessly into the new content without adding new tags. Ensure the new content is fashion-related, written entirely in Japanese, and approximately 1500 words. Conclude with a “結論” section and a well-formatted “よくある質問” section. Avoid including an introduction or a note explaining the process.
