We Taste Test & Rank Every Cognac From Hennessy: Hennessy VS, VSOP, XO, Paradis
Inarguably the most popular and best selling brand of Cognac in the world, Hennessy's might is staggering.
Part of the Big Four Cognac houses, Hennessy is by far the leader of the pack, with three bottles sold for every one bottle sold by its distant second in line of the Big Four. While Hennessy is the second youngest of the Big Four, it rose to fame on the back of quite a number of historic matters its brought to the world of Cognacs, such as the creation of the VSOP and XO labels. It was also quite the pioneer in being an ally to the Black community in America, which paid the Cognac house back in kind through heavy promotion of its name in many a rap lyric.
I'll take this opportunity to demystify some Cognac 101s. To start with, Cognac is at its simplest brandy or eaux-de-vie produced in the Cognac region of France using grapes - now, of course as with anything French, there are some major regulations on what is needed to be classified as Cognac, but as a spirit, it is a fruit brandy from a specified region. Something else that will definitely elevate your Cognac game, is to know that not every Cognac house (and there are somewhere between 200 - 300) produces their own brandy - some are distillers making their own, whilst others are negociants who purchase brandy from other distillers - Hennessy is both, producing and sourcing its brandies which in turn are blended and sold under the label.
The Hennessy estate which you can visit!
Belying Hennessy's seismic significance is in fact - and perhaps precisely so - a surprisingly tight and narrow range of classic expressions. There's of course the usual suspects - the VS, VSOP, XO and XXO - and then as a crowning jewel, is the Hennessy Paradis, so named after the Cognac-making practice of time-capsuling Cognac's in a glass demijohns where no further ageing takes place, which is then stored in a cool and dark ageing cellar for up to a century and more, uniquely allowing Cognacs as one of the only drinks in the world to wholly originate from a vintage that is well over a hundred years old. With just these handful of expressions, Hennessy has focused squarely on collaborations with artists, musicians, and other cultural figures to bring its Cognacs into new realms, constantly opening itself to reinterpretation and reimagination, and yet always the same benchmark Cognac. It's a pioneering yet subtle flex, proving that Hennessy's Cognacs need not be altered to suit the preferences of the day nor come in a hundred new expressions in order for it to prove its relevance, the savoir faire itself underscores its everlasting fashion. And so these resolutely unchanging Cognacs only gain equity with time as the layers of culture envelope around these decanters over decades and centuries.
2025 saw a collaboration between the Hennessy Paradis and fashion brand Loewe.
In this article, we'll taste test every Cognac from Hennessy's core range, beginning with the world's most sold Cognac - the Hennessy VS, and ending with the Hennessy Paradis.
The Hennessy VS, which stands for Very Special, is the brand's entry level Cognac, equivalent to what was the 3-Star grading, and is matured in new oak barrels for between 2 - 5 years, with an average age of about 2.5 - 3 years, and is composed of a blend of 40 different eaux-de-vie both Hennessy-distilled and sourced from across Cognac.
Next, we go on to taste the iconic Hennessy VSOP which was created by second-generation James Hennessy (of the house's founding family) in 1817 as a special request for King George IV of England which in turn resulted in the first ever VSOP Cognac to be made. The VSOP stands for Very Superior Old Pale. It is composed of around 60 different eaux-de-vie, with the youngest matured for at least 4 years and some aged for as long as 15 years, selected and matured separately before blending.
Then, we go on to the Hennessy XO, which stands for Extra Old. This one's the House's considerably more mature flagship expression and is once again historically significant as the Cognac that effectively created the XO category itself in 1870! It is assembled from around 100 eaux-de-vie, with some components matured for as long as 30 years - bearing in mind that regulations require that XO Cognacs must contain eaux-de-vie that are at least 10 years of age.
Maurice Fillioux with the late Queen Elizabeth II on a 1980 visit to the Hennessy Le Paradis cellars in the heart of the Charente.
Finally, we will finish with the ultra premium Paradis. The Paradis was first dreamt up in 1979 by sixth-generation Maurice Fillioux (the great-grandson of Emile Fillioux who created the Hennessy XO and XXO) - the first new core Hennessy expression in just over 100 years. Maurice meticulously assembled a blend of over 100 of the house's best parcels of eaux-de-vie (the grape brandy which we call Cognac), all of which aged for at least 25 years, with some said to be up to a 100 years old, drawn specially from Hennessy's Le Paradis - that is, the oldest parts of the famed house's cellars, reserved for what the house deems as the best eaux-de-vie's that are worthy of passing on from one generation to the next as almost an heirloom. And so the Hennessy Paradis, composed of Ugni Blanc single grape varietal Cognacs from several notable crus around the (Cognac) region including the legendary Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois and Borderies, was thus created to offer fans access to some of the most precious brandy coming from the category's most dominant house.
And so today, we're going to dive in headfirst and taste every core Cognac from this icon. Let's go!
Cognac Review: Hennessy VS (Very Special) Cognac
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark honey
Aroma: Caramel, raisins, orange zest, dried apricots, light bit of cinnamon and nutmeg spice, apple pie, vanilla sauce, and also a good amount of black grape skins giving a little bit of tannin. There’s some bits of old lacquered wooden furniture - light resin notes, tobacco leaves, and chocolate. Richer than you might’ve expected.
Taste: More caramel, even more raisins, butterscotch, brown sugar, light bit of dried apricots, peaches, orange blossoms, vanilla sauce, milk chocolate and coconut flakes. It sports a slightly lighter than medium body, but it works sufficiently for sipping.
Finish: Just slightly more dry here - with a little bit more of the wood tannins being showcased. It fades out with a gentle sweetness of caramel and raisins. Orange blossoms and apple pie linger on the finish.
My Thoughts
Now let’s face it - this is Henny’s entry level offering so you can’t be going too wild with your expectations here. But for what it’s worth, this is actually a very tasty, well-balanced and flavour forward Cognac that’s actually very enjoyable even for sipping. Really lovable flavours that are wholesome, nostalgic and very approachable, with not much of an alcoholic bite, it’s actually surprisingly smooth and rounded, and very aromatic.
If there were any drawback, it’d be that over time, it’s easy to get used to the lighter than medium body on the Henny VS, which then tends to feel alittle light and thin after a while. And sure, it doesn’t sport the most depth or complexity (alittle one dimensional after awhile), but again, for what it’s worth, it’s actually pretty solid.
It’s a great starter for anyone trying to get into Cognac. Nice bottle as well.
Cognac Review: Hennessy VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) Cognac
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark manuka honey.
Aroma: Lush, rounded, honeyed and a quite measured use of European oak influences. A combo of ripe and dried orchard fruits, with nectarines, dried apricots, honey, sultanas, with top notes of honeysuckles. Honey and caramel influences providing roundness at all times, with a growing warmth and zest of orange peels and touch of redcurrant jams and orange marmalade. It gradually develops sweet baking spices, first some cinnamon and nutmeg, then liquorice, Hacks candy. A slight vegetal-herbal quality of Chinese guilingao (herbal jelly dessert).
Taste: Warm, sweet and with lively spices. It comes in medium bodied, though the flavours are just as rich and rounded as you’d imagine from the Aroma. Now centred on a bit more herbaceous nuances and chocolate. Caramel, vanilla, candied oranges evolve into more substantial honeyed and herbaceous tones - sweet liquorice, Woods herbal candy, camphor, with lashings of milk chocolate syrup on bread, with a core of ripe plums and dried apricot.
Finish: Long and warming, with sweet oak influences. Drawn out notes of liquorice and an elegant bitter-sweet dark chocolate impression with shavings of orange peels. As the layer of richness recedes, we’re left with drier resinous European oak tones of cinnamon, clove and some sandalwood.
My Thoughts
This is a high quality and full-flavoured VSOP that tells a story of ripe fruits meeting with robust sweet oak spices. There’s a resounding sweetness and fruitiness that makes for a great cocktail, and at the same time when sipped neat, the sweetness is always balanced with spices and elegant dark chocolate or espresso-like bitterness that makes it very dependable as a sipping Cognac.
A very generous and versatile Cognac that you’d immediately recognise as a Hennessy across the room.
Cognac Review: Hennessy XO (Extra Old) Cognac
Tasting Notes
Colour: Mahogany
Aroma: With some time to open up, it’s blossomed nicely, with an incredibly perfumed aroma of rich caramel, Christmas cakes, raisins, figs and prunes, topped with a serving of baking spices of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. There’s wafting scents of leather and cocoa powder, as well as some chocolates. A little bit of vanilla beans and espresso too. With time some dried apricots begin to emerge as well. There’s a big woody mustiness about it that gives it an air of antiquity, like walking into a refined antique store, yet it’s not quite dry or over the top, but definitely present.
Taste: Incredibly rich and full bodied, it’s silky and plush, with the oak much more subtle. It keeps pretty consistent with those darker, more earthy notes of chocolates, baking spices, caramel, dried fruits of raisins, prunes and apricots. More of that Christmas cake, leather, cocoa, along with a gentle nuttiness of hazelnut praline. It’s only lightly sweet, yet not all that dry, which gives a rather clean and well-defined structure to the Cognac, which exposes more nuances of its body. It’s rich and concentrated with great definition. It has also a lifted brightened elegance about it.
Finish: It gives a deep warmth almost mentholated in quality, extending out seamlessly. More on chocolate, baking spices, raisins and prunes, as well as some tobacco leaves. The vanilla beans emerge more prominently here, almost combining to give coffee candy. The oak also surfaces here, yet it’s not overbearing.
My Thoughts
A phenomenal Cognac expression here. It’s perfectly executed from aromas to its taste and finish - I struggle to pick a bone with it. It’s entirely rich, concentrated and with flavours that are distinct yet cohesive, but also well-defined. It’s a commendable choice for Hennessy to make this expression a little more dry, which allows the Cognac to showcase this chiselled structure and reveal more of the nuance and definition of its European-oak derived influences.
The oakiness here is also managed impressively, giving this sort of mustiness of refinement that would be associated in fine antique stores, museums with those lacquered furnishings, or a cigar lounge - it’s evocative on the nose, yet this is held to much more subtlety on the palate, where it combines wonderfully with the darker and richer flavours without ever being overbearing.
The finish is long drawn, powerful, and loses none of the vibrance or definition of its flavours, instead continuing to lift and brighten with rich notes of vanilla and fresh oak.
Incredibly impressive expression by Hennessy, this is a superbly strong contender for best XO Cognac of the Big Four Cognac houses.
Cognac Review: Hennessy Paradis Cognac
Tasting Notes
Colour: Mahogany
Aroma: Ripe, perfumed, layered. Opens with a perfumed wave of ripe fruit; apricots leaning into slightly green and tart mango. There’s an abundance of red fruit, with raspberries, cherries, and a deep red fruit preserve that just edges into jamminess. A faint sweet milk chocolate note sits underneath, before a grounding quality offered by earthier aromatics of tobacco, autumnal leaves and a touch of damp earth. A distinctive subtle minerality that leans toward slate. The red fruits remain soft and rounded throughout, cushioning some gentle baking spices. Toward the edges, there’s a candied orange note, like orange jelly candy. Overall, the nose is rich very, layered, generous, driven primarily by fruit but with clear aromatic oak depth.
Taste: Mirrors the richness of the nose but takes on a softly spiced, oakier form with a good sense of weight and viscosity. It is full-bodied and robust, with a firm but precisely balanced grip of tobacco pipe and bitter oak that quickly mellows into chocolate and baking spices. Vanilla tonka beans thread through the mid-palate, bringing a creamier softness along with honeyed tones. A faint herbaceous streak cuts through, reminding me of herbal candies, before the light cinnamon and nutmeg perk up again toward the end. Great balance of oak bitterness, sweetness and spice on a palate with both heft and direction.
Finish: Long, slightly warm, and gently herbaceous. The honeyed sweetness that carried through the palate lingers here, recalling Woods candy and soft herbal jelly. There are echoes of autumnal leaves, light herbs, and a faint tea-like dryness that keeps the ending quite aromatic and graceful. Aromatic sandalwood remains present into the finish.
My Thoughts
The Hennessy Paradis strikes me as very generous yet impeccably balanced. The nose is fantastically ripe and layered, while the palate begins with boldness and robustness but eventually softens into something rounded and gentle, showing restraint where over-oaking could have dominated for a highly aged Cognac. I love how the European oak influence comes across, not in heavy tannins or raw bitterness, but in aromatic subtleties that complement rather than overwhelm. It feels both expansive and precise, a rare balance that makes it stand out.
@CharsiuCharlie
