NEW YORK—At LVMH (Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton) on 10th avenue, Andy Glaser, senior vice president for Hennessy Bussiness, sits in his office—the entire Hennessy brand portfolio within arms reach. As he glances over the bottles, he quickly notices there’s one bottle missing.
"Could you grab a bottle of Hennessy Black for me?" he calls out to his assistant. "I did have one in here," he says, "but someone must have taken it."
It seems Hennessy Black has become somewhat of a hot commodity. In fact, not just any consumer can get a taste of this new cognac. It's only available at high-end bars and nightclubs—a strategic distribution approach by the company to help maintain Hennessy's super premium status—and that means it's available to only those consumers in the know. That is, at least for now.
But there certainly has been a lot of buzz surrounding the new product. Hennessy Black is the newest introduction from Moet Hennessy USA for the Hennessy portfolio in nearly 50 years. After a soft launch in 10 select cities in the United States last year, Hennessy Black became available nationwide this month.
Two years in the making, Hennessy Black was thought up to not only bring innovation to the Hennessy portfolio, but also to the cognac category as its "done different" approach is targeted to introduce new consumers to the category during a new drinking occasion—at night in nightclubs and bars—where Glaser says Hennessy saw an opportunity.
"We identified the need for the Hennessy brand to try to re-establish itself as a very rightful and relevant brand in what we call the 'in the night occasions,'" he says.
High-end cognac brands have suffered over the years in the on-premise as a result of the popularity of white spirits, like vodka and tequila, which have claimed territory that Glaser believes belonged to cognacs.
"That was the strategic remake for us: How can we re-establish Hennessy and begin to re-claim high energy occasions? That’s where we want to win," he says. "And we believe by doing that we can also help elevate the whole Hennessy brand."
With that in mind, Hennessy Black was designed as a lighter and fresher version of its Hennessy counterpart to help ease the barrier to entry to the cognac category, making it more accessible to new consumers.
The versatility of the brand is a key element of the product, explains Glaser. Hennessy Black can be mixed in a cocktail or served as a chilled shot—"the first time we've done that for Hennessy," he says, adding that the shot culture during "in the night" drinking occasions is a big part of the innovation behind this brand where Hennessy Black is targeting a 21- to 29-year-old urban consumer looking for new experiences at a bar or nightclub.
"We believe mixability is very important as part of the strategy to help introduce and recruit consumers to a brand like Hennessy," Glaser says. "I think there are taboos or perceptions with certain spirits—the general perception of a cognac is a balloon glass, high backed leather chairs, older people drinking it, after dinner, a sense of reverence, which was traditionally how it was used. We are trying to pop that. We are not saying for all cognacs, but for certainly Hennessy VS, Privilege and Black."
The "done different" theme not only speaks to usage occasion, but the liquid inside the bottle, as well as the package—a black opaque bottle (similar in shape to Hennessy VS) with chrome detailing, not a package that is easily overlooked on the bar shelf or among a group of spirits displayed in an office.
Hennessy Black is a blend of 35 to 45, pale- and gold-colored eaux-de-vies. (Cognac is made from eaux-de-vie, which literally means “waters of life,” produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the growth areas of Cognac, France.) Hennessy Black is then aged in older French oak barrels, that were previously used for Hennessy, for at least five years, which gives the cognac a lighter color and less of a wood influence in its taste profile. The result: Hennessy Black is not only smooth, but versatile with floral notes and hints of citrus and honey and scents of jasmine, daffodils and orange flowers. A 750 ml bottle retails for about $39.99.
Glaser says the plan is to reach 300,000 consumers this year through sampling events. The marketing strategy behind the brand is to fully integrate Hennessy Black with the environments of dance culture and music, where one component will be the use of a neon blue light, which also is reflected in Hennessy Black's advertising, to help create a consumer connection with the brand. For example, shot glasses will be lit up in neon blue and handed out in the middle of the dance floor during high-energy music sets and the signature Hennessy Black light also will appear at the bar where promotional bottle displays will be.
In addition, in March Hennessy Black launched a DJ Mixmasters program, a selection of eight high-profile DJs from around the country that will act as brand ambassadors for the brand. And this month, Hennessy Black is launching a dance competition using a digital nightclub called Hennessy Black Dance Floor hosted on hennessyblack.com. Visitors to the site can upload their own dance moves individually or as teams and have the opportunity to win cash prizes and perform on-air on George Lopez's "Lopez Tonight" show.
Though the initial response to the brand has been positive, Glaser expects to see outstanding results this year for Hennessy Black and has ambitiously set end-of-year case sales at 100,000.
"It's a very bullish aspiration," he admits. "Whether we get it or not, we'll see, but I think it's important to have ambition and important to have a vision for that."
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It seems Hennessy Black has become somewhat of a hot commodity. In fact, not just any consumer can get a taste of this new cognac. It's only available at high-end bars and nightclubs—a strategic distribution approach by the company to help maintain Hennessy's super premium status—and that means it's available to only those consumers in the know. That is, at least for now.
"We believe mixability is very important as part of the strategy to help introduce and recruit consumers to a brand like Hennessy," Glaser says. "I think there are taboos or perceptions with certain spirits—the general perception of a cognac is a balloon glass, high backed leather chairs, older people drinking it, after dinner, a sense of reverence, which was traditionally how it was used. We are trying to pop that. We are not saying for all cognacs, but for certainly Hennessy VS, Privilege and Black."
The largest independently owned juice company in the US, Apple & Eve continues to grow with its line of pure, natural juices in an increasingly health-minded beverage market.