Hennessy Paradis Rare Cognac 700ml

Maurice Fillioux built Paradis in 1979 out of eaux-de-vie his grandfather had put away. More than a hundred of them go into the blend, some over a century old. 700ml, 40% alcohol.

They are held in very old barrels on purpose — wood that has already given up most of what it has to give — so the age arrives as texture rather than as oak. Fillioux compared the result to a symphony orchestra: what matters is not how many instruments there are but the sound they make together.

Jasmine and dried flowers, cinnamon and candied peel, honey and rancio, with wood smoke underneath and a finish that will not quit. Wine Enthusiast gives it 92 points.

It sits above XO in the Hennessy range. Buy it to taste what properly old cognac is like, not to keep a decanter on a shelf.

Room temperature, in a tulip glass rather than a balloon. No ice.

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