Last week I attended a Hennessy event in LA to celebrate the launch of the new VS Limited Edition Bottle designed by graffiti artist Futura. The event featured live art demonstrations by Futura and sweet music sets from Diplo and Santigold. There were plenty of beautiful people in attendance and of course, the Henny was flowing freely throughout the night.

I have no idea why it took me so long to try Hennessy. I’ve always been a Scotch and whiskey kinda guy, but I never gave Hennessey a real chance. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s a maturity thing. I always reached for what was familiar – beers, scotch and so forth. I just never really got into Cognac.

But things change. People change. Palates grow more sophisticated. After-dinner drinks graduate past the light beer stage. So this may come as news to no one, but Hennessey is actually pretty tasty.

Hennessy isn’t too sweet and it’s not too gut-punching.  It’s not as surpy as whiskey. It doesn’t have that same acquired taste as Scotch. It’s just a friendly, end-of-the-day reminder of the finer things in life – a born nightcap that says good meal and good night. It’s a change of pace beverage, a relaxing spirit that has a chill-mellow finish.

Anyway, back to the Very Special bottle. Futura’s bottle design was inspired by the Cognac itself, as evidenced by the warm, energetic colors. He wanted to incorporate the action of swirling the spirit in a glass, and this movement is also present in the design. Futura adapted his design aesthetic to this smaller scale canvas, and the result turned out great.

The marriage of appealing art, good drinks and great music made for a pretty successful party. Kudos to Henny for putting together a solid event and a smart partnership.