COGNAC, France—At Hennessy’s headquarters, there’s an unmarked, invite-only room where the eight-member Comité de Dégustation, or tasting committee, meets at 11 a.m. sharp, daily. Huge windows flood the space with natural light, revealing the vast color variation in the hundreds of vials of eaux-de-vie lining the room’s walls. On a given day, the committee tastes upwards of 50 samples in varying stages of development with one common goal: Identify the eaux-de-vie destined for greatness, to ensure exceptional quality and consistency for future blends.
This committee, the only of its kind, has held the keys to the world’s best-selling cognac for over a century. The key master, Yann Fillioux, stepped down from his perch as Master Blender in July 2017 after devoting 50 years to the art of tasting, aging, and blending cognac.
