Hennessy V.S. Holiday Limited Edition (700 ml)

When Maurice Hennessy codified the VS star-rating system in the 19th century, he established the very grading language the entire cognac industry still speaks today — and the VS expression remains the direct heir to that founding logic. Sourced from over 1,500 independent partner growers across four crus — Grande Champagne's shallow clay-limestone chalk, Petite Champagne, the clay-flint soils of Borderies, and Fins Bois — each cru contributes a distinct structural register: Grande Champagne delivers the long-aging backbone, Borderies the rounded, nutty mid-palate. Ugni Blanc grapes are fermented with native wild yeast, no added sulphur or sugar, producing a high-acid, low-ABV base wine (8–10%) purpose-built for double distillation in traditional Charentais copper pot stills. Critically, Hennessy distills both with and without lees — unlike Martell, which never uses lees — and reintroduces heads and tails into the brouillis before the second pass, concentrating congeners for the house's characteristically assertive dark-fruit and spice profile. Initial maturation in new Limousin oak, sourced from Hennessy's own forests (trees felled only after 80+ years of growth), drives the VS's pronounced vanilla and toasted oak character. The Holiday Limited Edition bottle is the sole differentiator from the standard VS blend — the liquid inside is identical, making this a collector-entry point at an accessible price point.