Cognac tasting odyssey With Ridley Scott
An award-winning short directed by the legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott transforms the seven tasting notes into worlds.
Every sip of the Hennessy X.O cognac is an odyssey for the senses. Award-winning director Sir Ridley Scott sweeps the viewer up in a rich and complex visual experience of the Hennessy X.O: The Seven Worlds.
Garnering over 150 million views on social media, this short film marks the first brand collaboration in 15 years for the legendary director of “Alien”, “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator.”
“I’m very pleased to partner with Hennessy for my first commercial in 15 years. From the very beginning, the project has been about the creative process. I saw the initial script and it immediately triggered something in me. I loved partnering with Hennessy as the creative process was an absolute priority throughout. The result is not simply advertising, it’s entertainment.”
"THE SEVEN WORLDS" BY SIR RIDLEY SCOTT: BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Sir Ridley Scott
Hennessy X.O
Behind-the-scenes
With his characteristic cinematic signature, Sir Ridley Scott explores the seven tasting notes in Hennessy X.O, bringing a unique universe to life for each note.
“From the very beginning, the project has been about the creative process,” says Scott. “I started scribbling and those scribbles turned into a detailed storyboard and a productive visit in the Cognac region. I loved partnering with Hennessy as the creative process was an absolute priority throughout.”
"THE SEVEN WORLDS": MAKING OFF
Making off
Making off
Making off
In a fantastical, other-worldly outer space, we are transported into the X.O odyssey in full 3D, hovering between the real and the mythical. Explorers tap the walls of a cave, releasing a rich amber liquid evoking Sweet Notes. The scene glides over a desert-scape populated by a bronzed group of voyagers hiding in their shadows from the three burning suns (Rising Heat), passes through the creation of a beautiful AI crafted from spices (Spicy Edge), then soars into fiery space with burning clouds (Flowing Flame), before touching down on a crackled lunar terrain made out of chocolate that seems to defy the laws of gravity (Chocolate Lull). Deep in an exotic forest, a sprite takes form in dancing leaves (Wood Crunches) before transforming into a tree as the camera pans upward to gaze on a lush, Earth-like planet. There, a nebula being is revealed holding all the magical planets of taste (Infinite Echo). Unique lighting, futuristic costumes and Scott’s subversive sense of narrative bring every distinct flavour note to life in a tactile, hyper-graphic and poetic 4-minute opus. Each scene evokes the incredible journey of taste as well as the complex elaboration and art of cognac blending behind Hennessy X.O. — an expression of expertise and consistency over centuries in the making.
Hennessy X.O
In 1870, Maurice Hennessy created Hennessy X.O for his circle of friends and introduced a new style of cognac. Hennessy X.O is the Original, the emblematic icon of the Hennessy Maison.
Deep and powerful, the eaux-de-vie of this Hennessy X.O cognac are aged in young barrels and marked out by their power and energy, but also by their capacity to achieve a great roundness through time.
Our Tasting Committee has explored every facet of the blend and identified several emotions that were assimilated to an Odyssey through 7 chapters:
- Sweet Notes: The palate is warmly embraced by flavors of candied fruit.
- Rising Heat: The intriguing sensation of an intense, rising heat slowly reveals the complex taste of eaux-de-vie patiently aged in oak barrels.
- Spicy Edge: Perception of a strong spicy cognac note, tantalising the lips and palate with its distinct peppery flavor intertwined with a hint of chocolate.
- Flowing Flame: A wave of warmth grows, crests and then breaks. A robust presence, full and voluptuous, is felt.
- Chocolate Lull: There is the gradual discovery of something very familiar. It is the well-rounded flavor of a rich, dark chocolate.
- Wood Crunches: A striking sensation is suddenly felt – the vigorous ebb and flow of oak notes interlaced with vanilla.
- Infinite Echo: The evanescent oak notes leave a long, omnipresent finish in their wake. Seemingly endless, it echoes all of the subtleties of each taste and sensation that has preceded it.
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