1.History .Irish nobleman Richard Hennessy [1] established an eaux-de-vie trading business in Cognac, France, in 1765.[2] The land on which the business was created was given to Hennessy as compensation for service as a mercenary for King Louis XV.[citation needed] In 1794, the company began its deliveries of Hennessy Cognac to the newly independent United States.[3] Hennessy later introduced Jean Fillioux as its first Master Blender in 1800.[3] In 1813 the trademark "Jas Hennessy & Co." was adopted.[3] Hennessy grew more popular among the aristocracy, and in 1817 George IV ordered a Hennessy V.S.O.P. (an excellent pale cognac eaux-de-vie).[citation needed] By 1840, after the creation of the Hennessy agency in London, export sales made up 90% of profits.[3] The first labels with the name of Jas Hennessy & C° and the 'Bras Armé' were presented in 1856.[3] And in 1864, a bottling plant was opened and the Hennessy trademarks were registered.[3] A system for classifying cognacs was created by Maurice Hennessy in 1865.[3] Not until 1868 did Hennessy expand internationally, delivering that year to Japan Hennessy cognac.[3] The X.O. appellation (which has since become a worldwide reference for cognacs), was created by Maurice Hennessy.[3] Hennessy delivered X.O. to Shanghai, China in 1872. According to its own corporate history, by the end of the 19th century, Jas Hennessy & Co. became the world market leader of eaux-de-vie in 1890.[3]
2.Marketing .Recent innovations include trying to broaden the appeal of the drink beyond its traditional base of older drinkers, by introducing new products such as "Pure White," "Hennessy Black" and "Fine de Cognac" and marketing them accordingly. [4]
In 2009, a limited edition bottle of Hennessy VS was released in honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America. The bottle featured a black label with gold lettering. Also, the circle seal towards the base of the neck featured a large 44, the phrase "In Honor of the 44th President" and the date of Mr. Obama's inauguration. A percentage of the proceeds made from the sales of the limited edition bottles will go towards the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
3.Popularity .In recent years, Hennessey's popularity in the younger generation has increased, and is in particular referenced frequently in several rapper's songs.[5] Artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G, Lloyd Banks, Twista, Ludacris, Sean Combs, Mobb Deep, Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Coolio, Busta Rhymes,Three 6 Mafia, and uprising filmmaker Tyler Baron and numerous other rappers reference Hennessy in their songs.