Hennessy Paradis Imperial Cognac First Edition / Signed by Maurice Hennessy

When the Irish Jacobite, Richard Hennessy, founded a distillery in 1765, he could not have possibly foreseen the scale to which his fledgling business would grow. Hennessy found himself in the right place at the right time as trade in alcoholic spirits was booming, extremely popular not only with the French but also with many people within the British Empire. In addition, Hennessy and the other cognac producers at the time also benefitted from rum shortages due to the Seven Years War. Fast forward to the 1970s and Kilian Hennessy, a fifth-generation descendant of Richard became the CEO of the family business. In 1971 she oversaw the merger of the business with French wine giant, Moët & Chandon, which created one of the biggest drinks companies in the world. The business was further strengthened in 1987 by the merger with fashion house, Louis Vuitton to create LVMH, however due to a managerial crisis the following year, Guinness (now Diageo) also came on board by securing a 34% share. Today Hennessy sell around 50 million bottles of cognac per year and account for more than 40% of the world’s supply.

The Paradis Impérial is a blend of Eaux de Vie from the 19th and 20th centuries and is inspired by the blend produced for Tsar Alexander I in 1818.

This is the first edition, introduced in 2011 and presented in an elegant decanter and display case designed by Stéphanie Balini. This particular bottle has been signed by International Hennessy Ambassador, Maurice Hennessy.

NOTE: Please note that the stoppers on these decanters are incredibly loose. Though some include plastic seals, most are held in place only with a thin wire, and the stopper and cork have signifcant freedom of movement. Whisky Auctioneer Ltd cannot be held liable for any leakage/damage caused whilst the bottle is in transit, including lots sent using Loss & Breakage Assurance.

Please note due to the size of this lot, it will carry a two-bottle shipping fee.