"Hennessy XO": how to distinguish real French cognac from a fake

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Expensive, refined drink "Hennessy XO" for many years remains the standard of quality among Extra Old cognacs. Its unique composition includes more than a hundred different types of spirits, and the average exposure is about 20-30 years.

Drink idea

Many great things are known to happen after tragedies and disasters. The creation of the legendary drink was no exception. Richard Hennessy, an Irish mercenary serving in France, was seriously wounded in 1765, after which he was sent for treatment to a hospital located near the city of Cognac. In the district of this town, local brandy was very popular, which prompted Richard to abandon the service and start his own business.

Soon he founded his own trading house in Cognac and began to produce the first varieties of Hennessy. By a happy coincidence, in Ireland, in the homeland of Richard, there was a crop failure that year, and Hennessy provided the country with excellent quality booze. Eveneminent France, who knew a lot about brandy and wines, appreciated Richard's cognac.

First successes

During the French Revolution, the Trading House became the main exporter of cognac to North America, and a little later to other countries. In 1832, a plague broke out in the capital of England. According to the doctors of that time, the only medicine that can overcome this disease is good cognac - an antiseptic used for both internal and external use. The English court at that time was able to appreciate the whole taste of Hennessy.

By this time, the drink, in view of the fact that he liked the emperor, was favorably received in Russia. Literally shortly after that, cognac conquered Australia and Asia. In 1971, the Hennessy company officially announced that it had sold more than a million cases of drinks of the same name.

And for the past 250 years, the famous Hennessy family has been breeding grapes and making a unique cognac so loved by the whole world.

Production technology

The world famous "Hennessy XO" is created using a special technology. White wine is made from carefully selected grape varieties, which are distilled twice in cubes called “alambique”. Seventy-degree distilled liquid is left in barrels for many years in order to subsequently create an unsurpassed drink. In the cellars of Hennessy, stocks from the distant 1800 are still preserved. By mixing them with other alcohols, they getthe most interesting drinks in terms of taste and aroma.

"Hennessy XO": how to distinguish a fake

French cognac "Hennesy" has a high cost, which is of interest to bootleggers. Unfortunately, the probability of getting a low-quality alcoholic drink for a decent amount is quite high, and therefore, before purchasing a Hennessy XO, a fake of which is quite common, you need to know how to distinguish real products from counterfeit ones.

First of all, it should be borne in mind that this brandy has an elegant packaging, represented by a dark amber colored cardboard box. It must have an image of a hand with a halberd, which is the coat of arms of the Hennessy trading house.

In addition, the legal supply of "Hennessy XO" to Russia is carried out exclusively by the company "VX Group", and therefore the package must contain complete information about this importer in Russian. When purchasing a drink in large stores, you should ask the employee for a certificate of quality for this cognac brand.

You need to carefully examine the bottle. It should be engraved in the form of leaves and bunches of grapes. The front side of the container of this "Hennessy XO" has a sticker on the back of which the brand name is depicted. At the bottom of the original bottle there is a clear symmetrical pattern. It is worth paying attention to the cork of the container: it should sit very tightly and remainimmobile even with considerable effort to unscrew it.

Fake "Hennessy XO" is characterized by a shade of weakly brewed tea, while the original is distinguished by a bright rich cognac color. French cognac has an excise stamp, which indicates the name of the drink, its volume and aging time. Its absence is a clear sign of a fake.

And, finally, in Russia you can not buy a real "Hennessy XO" in half-liter bottles. Seeing the capacity of such a volume, you can not even doubt that this is a counterfeit product.

How much does a Hennessy XO cost

The price of a real cognac of this brand is quite high, and therefore many people will not be able to afford the drink. So, the French "Hennessy XO" in a bottle with a capacity of only 0.35 liters will cost 3,700 rubles, and 0.7 liters - 6,500-7,000 rubles.

"Hennesy" - a truly masculine cognac - is a kind of original work of art. Anyone who once tasted it, felt an unforgettable taste and breathed in a charming aroma, will never confuse the drink with anything else.