The Alphabet Explained

If we have all had a moment to catch our breath from some of those prices, let’s talk about the letters that spell out some mysterious code on the bottles. In reality, it is not that tricky of a code. If you look at the price chart below, you can see several Hennessy varieties followed by some letters. These letters are utilized throughout the cognac industry, so you may see them on other brands of cognac as well. Let’s look at what those letters mean:

Hennessy VS: Very Special; this indicates that the youngest in the blend is at least two years old.

Hennessy XO: Extra Old; Be sure not to call anyone XO out there! As of April 2016, this means that the youngest in the blend is at least ten years old.

Hennessy VSOP Privilege: Very Special Old Pale; indicates that the youngest in the blend is at least four years old; however, these are often far older blends.