Hennessy has announced the launch of its first-ever NFTs in partnership with BlockBar, featuring Hennessy 8, a Cognac blend crafted to honor a time of transition.
In 2017, the Maison’s seventh-generation Master Blender, Yann Fillioux, passed the torch to his nephew, Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, by unveiling Hennessy 8, a highly symbolic blend. Crafted using one eau-de-vie from each generation of Hennessy Master Blender, Hennessy 8 now enters a new dimension as NFTs, with its first and last carafes presented as a dual drop on BlockBar.com.
Five years in the making, Hennessy 8 honors the arrival of a new generation and the Maison’s heritage of passing down its cognac-making savoir-faire. Exquisite, elegant, and subtle, it is a cognac that embodies 250 years of excellence, perpetual reinvention, and shared expertise.
Numbered 1/250 and 250/250 respectively, these two NFTs present an exclusive opportunity to own remarkable moments in cognac-making history. Maison Hennessy will also open its doors at the Hennessy estate in Cognac, France to the buyer of the NFTs, as a friend of the House.
These unique NFTs are being offered exclusively through BlockBar and represent the pinnacle of the art of cognac-making, whether for personal enjoyment, investment, or a future legacy. Upon purchase, the cryptographic version will be held securely by BlockBar, with a record of authenticity held on the blockchain as a digital certificate of ownership. The buyer may choose either to redeem the physical product and have it delivered from BlockBar’s secure storage facility, or to safely trade its NFT version within the BlockBar.com marketplace.
“Hennessy is renowned for innovation and passing down know-how from one generation to the next, so we’re honored the Maison has chosen to partner with BlockBar to mark this innovative milestone with its first NFT,” comments Dov Falic, CEO and co-founder of BlockBar.
The Hennessy 8 NFTs come accompanied by both physical and digital attributes. A commemorative sculpture accompanies each purchase, along with a jewel-like copper key to open the physical chest, which cradles the carafe like a protective shell. The chest, designed by Arik Levy using oak staves sourced from La Sarrazine, the Hennessy cooperage, is made of 25 layers, each one symbolizing 10 years of Hennessy’s history. An elegant companion toolbox contains four tasting glasses originally designed by glassmaker Georg Riedel and Yann Fillioux 30 years ago; these have been re-edited exclusively for Hennessy 8. A pipette made of oak barrel wood and a cork holder are also included. A keepsake brochure describing the genesis and spirit of the Cognac, a personalized authentication plate and a numbered certificate signed by Yann Fillioux complete the presentation of the legacy spirit.
The two Hennessy 8 NFTs available to one buyer only, priced at 70.47 ETH (approx. $226,450), and will drop on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 via BlockBar. At 9:30 AM EST, a lobby will open for users; to gain access a user must have 1 ETH in their wallet and have it connected to the site. At 10 AM EST, all users in the lobby will be shuffled into random order. BlockBar will then proceed through the queue. Each person at the top of the queue has 10 minutes to submit a deposit of 1 ETH and then a further 48 hours to submit the remaining balance. Full Terms & Conditions may be found on BlockBar.com. The NFT may be purchased from BlockBar with Ethereum (ETH) or by credit card.
Join Hennessy and BlockBar on Instagram Live (@thecarsonchan) on Tuesday, January 11 at 9pm HKT, and Twitter Spaces (@BlockBarNFT) on Wednesday, January 12 at 9:30AM EST to find out more about this exclusive drop.
In December, The Dalmore partnered with BlockBar to offer a limited-edition liquor NFT with a set of The Dalmore Decades No 4 Collection. Earlier that month, Penfolds became the first wine brand to partner with BlockBar.
In November, Colombia’s Dictador rum partnered with BlockBar to release its 1976 Dictador Generations bottling as an NFT. In October, Glenfiddich partnered with BlockBar to launch a series of 15 limited edition liquor NFTs.
