Hennessy V.S.O.P (Mini-Bar) (200 ml)

When Maurice Hennessy codified the star-rating system later adopted across the entire cognac industry, he was formalising a house philosophy built on deliberate technical transgression — including the decision to distill both with and without lees, and to reintroduce heads and tails into the brouillis before the second Charentais pot-still pass. That choice concentrates congeners in a way Martell (strictly off-lees) and most peers never attempt, producing a structurally denser spirit at ~70% ABV off the still. The VSOP draws eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne (shallow clay-limestone chalk, prized for long aging potential), Borderies (clay-flint soils, yielding rounder, nuttier character), Petite Champagne, and Fins Bois — all aged a minimum of four years in Limousin oak, including barrels hand-cooperaged at Hennessy's own Cognac facility from 80-year-old trees harvested from its proprietary forests. Eaux-de-vie resting in chais along the humid Charente riverbank develop a mellower, rounder profile; those in drier inland cellars contribute grip and depth. The Tasting Committee — led by the eighth consecutive generation of the Fillioux family — reviews ~10,000 individual eaux-de-vie annually to assemble the blend, bottled at 40% ABV with light filtration. No vintage applies; stylistic consistency across years is the explicit goal. The 200 ml format delivers the full multi-cru VSOP blend without compromise.