One of the nest cognacs you can drink is the result of uncompromising attention to detail.

An average person might spend a few minutes at the supermarket picking from a dozen or so brands and ingredients to make a decent cup of coffee. Now imagine that instead of a few minutes, it’s a few years and, instead of a handful of choices, you have 10,000. That’s what the Master Blenders of Hennessy work with when creating the brand’s crown jewel, the Hennessy Paradis Imperial.

Last year, that task went to Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, who represents the cognac brand’s eighth generation of Master Blenders from a single family: the Fillioux. After 15 years of training by his uncle, Yann, the previous Master Blender, Renaud leads Hennessy’s Tasting Committee through sessions where only the best eaux- de-vie is selected for its various products. cut. Making a truly memorable cognac is not an exact science, but more of an art form. While his predecessor may have used over a hundred eaux- de-vie to re- create the sensorial experience of the Paradis Imperial, the same ingredients may not work the following year. It takes a well-trained nose and palate to sift through nature’s bounty to create a consistently recognisable spirit bursting with elegance and nesse. nally blended to create the nal product. Remarkable precision is required to perfectly reproduce a spirit through taste and aroma alone, but pick up any bottling of Hennessy Paradis Imperial from any year and you will recognise the same notes of jasmine, orange blossom and spring owers merging harmoniously with the cognac’s subtle smokiness. You can thank the Dowager Empress of Russia for this stunning medley of avours, because the Paradis Imperial was inspired by an order she made in 1818 for her son Tsar Alexander I. It is this story and the increased use of eaux- de-vie from the 19th century that differentiates the Paradis Imperial from its older brother, the Paradis. An exceptional cognac with an exceptional history – which is why there can be nothing average about the way it’s been crafted.