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Hennessy partners with Daniel Libeskind

LVMH-owned Hennessy Cognac has collaborated with architect Daniel Libeskind to unveil a new design for one of the rarest bottlings in its collection, Richard Hennessy.

Richard Hennessy decanter
The Richard Hennessy decanter honours the Cognac brand’s founder

The Richard Hennessy decanter, which is named after the founder of the brand, was first unveiled in 1996 and is described as a tribute to the brand’s 250 years of history.

The Cognac is made with some of the rarest eaux-de-vie from Hennessy’s reserves, aged between 40 to 50 years and up to 150 years old.

As such, there are ‘extremely limited’ quantities available with only 12 French oak barrels used every year to make the expression.

Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde describes the liquid as having notes of orange peel and tobacco.

“It’s the ultimate expression of pure quality and represents the whole story of Hennessy in a glass,” adds Fillioux de Gironde.

The 40% ABV expression is said to offer a spicy taste with notes of leather and candied fruits.

The new ‘contemporary’ decanter is made from Baccarat crystal with Libeskind also designing accessories for the Cognac, including glasses, a fusil and a tray.

Libeskind took inspiration from the founder’s ‘intense and complex’ characteristics to create the design of the decanter, which combines geometric crystalline forms of Baccarat crystal with soft curves. The creation of the new bottle took three to four years to develop. It is said to symbolise the future of the brand, while honouring the past.

“There is a complexity, process and structure to Cognac, just as there is in architecture,” said Libeskind. “I am inspired by the interplay of history and the future – a particular magic happens when the two come together.

“And I relish bringing a myriad of ideas from different areas to the design process, because I believe it elevates and brings new meaning to design.”

It is the first time Libeskind has partnered with Hennessy. The Polish-born artist is known for rebuilding the World Trade Centre in Lower Manhattan, as well as projects such as the Jewish Museum Berlin (Germany), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada), Crystals at City Center (Las Vegas, US), and the Museum of Zhang Zhidong (Wuhan, China).

Richard Hennessy will be available in the UK from Harrods and Hedonism from mid-March, priced at RRP £5,000 (US$6,800).

Earlier this month, Hennessy Cognac unveiled a ‘digital house’ activation for the National Basketball Association All-Star Game.

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