Cover Master blender Renaud tasting the Hennessy Paradis
Master blender Renaud tasting the Hennessy Paradis
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Hennessy’s eight-generation master blender shares with Tatler how he is looking to the future to ensure that the next generation can still enjoy cognac
The storied heritage of Hennessy, which began when the house was founded by Richard Hennessy in 1765, has always been intertwined with the Fillioux family. It was in 1806 when Richard named Jean Fillioux as the Maison’s first master blender, and this long line of succession continues today with Renaud Fillioux de Gironde serving as its eighth-generation master blender.
You could say that cognac flows through the veins of Renaux, who was recently in Singapore to take esteemed guests through a one-night-only food and cognac pairing at Chinese restaurant Yì by Jereme Leung. “I don’t travel often as I am always in Cognac sampling eaux-de-vie [with the tasting committee],” shares Renaux, who took over the role from his uncle, seventh-generation master blender Yann Fillioux, in 2017.
Read more: The truth about Hennessy Cognac, why it’s on the rise in Singapore
Above Hennessy Paradis
Hennessy Paradis
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While it is clear that Renaud was the perfect fit to follow in his uncle’s footsteps, he mentions that he didn’t just inherit the role but earned it through more than 15 years of rigorous training and mastering the art of selecting eaux-de-vie from the Maison’s massive reserves of over 600,000 barrels. Formerly a wine relations manager, he kick-started his journey into this prestigious role by joining the tasting committee—a group of in-house experts tasked with sampling the best eaux-de-vie that would go into Hennessy blends—in 2002. “My uncle instilled in me the values of discipline and consistency in upholding the Maison’s heritage,” he says.
Giving us a picture of what his normal day looks like, he states that he would meet with the tasting committee at 11am every day to nose and taste about 50 eaux-de-vie. “Only the finest liquids make it into our Hennessy cognacs,” he muses, before mentioning the Hennessy portfolio which includes the Hennessy VSOP, Hennessy XO and Hennessy Paradis.
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Above Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde
Hennessy master blender Renaud Fillioux de Gironde
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Fun fact: Renaud tells us that it was Hennessy which coined the term ‘XO’ in the 19th century, when the founder’s descendant Maurice Hennessy started making a special blend for his family and friends that had been aged for longer—hence ‘XO’, which means extra old.
He also ensures that he meets with winegrowers Hennessy has been working with for years to discuss the quality of the yields and how climate change is affecting harvest.
Having said that, Hennessy is part of many sustainable initiatives that protect the region’s biodiversity and terroir. These include collaborating with winegrowers to achieve their Cognac Environmental Certification by 2028 and establishing 1,000 kilometres of hedges and trees throughout the region within ten years as part of their “1000 Palisses” project. Renaud lets on that they are doing this so that they can continue making cognacs for the future generations. After all, enjoying a dram or two gives us “a moment of pleasure”.
From July 15 onwards, Yì by Jereme Leung will be offering a specially curated set menu crafted by chef-owner Jereme Leung, which is paired with Hennessy cognac.
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Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
