Artist Refik Anadol turns Hennessy V.S.O.P cognac decanter into art

Combining tradition and technology, the creation of the Hennessy V.S.O.P cognac decanter encouraged the encounter between the Hennessy Tasting Committee and the artist Refik Anadol, so as to shed light on the Maison’s essence, true beauty and savoir-faire.
“This Limited Edition of Hennessy V.S.O.P uses actual, true data from the Tasting Committee, collected in a setting where we could see what they were doing. AI brings out each member’s inner voice, the one that defines taste and yields rich data, and then makes the emotions of the process visible.”

Enduring mastery and new modes of expression came together in an extraordinary convergence. The Hennessy Tasting Committee consented to “open up their minds” to a completely unconventional experiment borrowed from another realm. Outfitted in high-tech equipment, Master Blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde and his colleagues allowed Mr. Anadol to track their emotions in real-time, capturing their experience, sensations, and appreciations of eaux-de-vie, while acquiring 250 years of savoir-faire.

“In our craft, we are constantly classifying, describing, and trying to find exactly the right words to convey our impressions and experiences,” said Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, Hennessy’s 8th-generation Master Blender. “We were all very intrigued to see what elements technology might bring to light.”
During the traditional 11 a.m. meeting, a rare and specialized electroencephalogram (EEG) typically reserved for laboratory research was used to capture sensorial data as each participating Tasting Committee member evaluated a selection of eaux-de-vie destined for the Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège cognac. Freshly equipped with sensors, the committee followed a ritual that has remained unchanged for generations. Past and present merged in what Mr. Anadol describes as “a near-future experience, in real-time.”

"Emotion lives in the senses, on the skin, in the heart, and in the mind — and with this hyper- sensitive equipment, we are able to trace everything, down to the movement of the glass,” Mr. Anadol explains. “You can see heritage and savoir-faire become visible and observe how the material actually becomes the wisdom.”
The limited edition unveils the sensorial nature of an iconic blend, lifting the curtain just a little on the immaterial savoir-faire behind the mastery. Blending past, present and future in an extraordinary piece of art, this cognac decanter lets the viewer experience the balance, harmony and emotion behind Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège.