Artist Jean-Michel Othoniel Crafts Two Dazzling Limited Edition Decanters for Hennessy

The Hennessy X.O x Jean-Michel Othoniel collaboration serves as dual-tribute to both the spirit brand’s dedication to quality and the artist’s inspiration from glass and light. For the X.O Masterpiece model, a Baccarat crystal decanter adorned with seven gems of varying bold colors is encased in a hand-carved oak display—a nod to Hennessy’s intricate cognac barrels which they masterfully craft themselves at headquarters. As for X.O limited edition, a show-stopping metal casing reveals a vibrant ruby-red hue decanter, where a gem of similar color stands at the top of the cork and in the middle of the case proudly displaying the brand’s name.

“We needed to express something new about the cognac, but also something new in my work,” Othoniel says about the designs. “I love projects working for a company like Hennessy because for me they are another way to think or step into using all materials, to experiment.”

Hennessy is certainly no stranger to embracing the artistic side of spirit making. Not only does this collaboration mark the brand’s second experience collaborating with the French talent (the last time being nearly 20 years ago for a special anniversary design), but Hennessy has also commissioned the likes of fashion designers Kim Jones and Tom Dixon as well as architect-designer Frank Gehry to craft one-of-a-kind creations over recent years. No matter who the creative mind is behind each special creation, the tried and true taste of Hennessy inevitably shines forward.

“At the end it’s a real beautiful object,” the artist says. “I love something very sensual and very soft in a subtle way. I have this feeling of poetry. To see things that are not so obvious and you can turn around the subject and your mind can escape and you can have a poetic moment.”

Discover more about the X.O Hennessy Masterpiece and X.O. Hennessy Limited Edition here.