Hennessy has unveiled a special collection created with contemporary artist Yan Pei-Ming to celebrate the Lunar New Year. His remarkable painting The Great Race has inspired limited-edition bottles of Hennessy V.S.O.P, Hennessy X.O and Hennessy Paradis cognacs.
The Chinese-born artist, now naturalized French, is renowned for his portraits of animals and famous personalities. To honor the Year of the Rabbit Yan Pei-Ming created a monumental painting, depicting the rabbit, and all the 12 animals of the zodiac galloping in unison. The Great Race painting prompts a message of freedom, inclusion, and interconnectedness. The true subject of the painting is light, explains Yan Pei-Ming: “When you hold a bottle of cognac up to sunlight, its hues and transparency vary so much. I wanted to portray cognac — but it’s light that is really the color of this painting.” The striking palette in the artist’s composition is reminiscent of the amber and mahogany tones of Hennessy X.O.
The collection includes a one-liter Hennessy Paradis decanter. Created in collaboration with Maison Bernardaud, each decanter is handcrafted in the workshop in world-renowned Limoges porcelain. The limited-edition bottle has been produced in an exclusive series of 888 decanters, each housed in a precious wooden case.
Hennessy V.S.O.P represents 200 years of Hennessy’s know-how. Embodying the original concept of cognac, it is the cognac of remarkable consistency and vitality. It conveys all of the savoir-faire of the Hennessy master blenders.
The emblematic icon of Hennessy, Hennessy X.O was created in 1870 by Maurice Hennessy for his circle of friends. This new style of cognac was characterized by deep and powerful finish. The eaux-de-vie of this Hennessy X.O cognac are aged in young barrels and marked out by their energy.