That Hennessy is able to look back and draw on its 250+ years as a world-renowned cognac, at the same time as being the most name-checked drink in contemporary hip-hop, is a credit to how the brand has understood its appeal to a wide range of consumers and how its communications have engaged with them.

Last year, the brand celebrated 300 years since the birth of its Irish founder Richard Hennessy – and while heritage was at the fore of its From Cork to Cognac campaign by agency forceMajeure, it was conveyed with a modern twist, as embodied in the striking Very Special (VS) bottle label art created by artists Conor Harrington and Maser.

In a move that saw the perception of the brand shift from the established Hennessy base in the heart of the Charente region in France, the pair were filmed amid the Irish landscape by Perry Ogden and the campaign managed to acknowledge the founder’s Irish heritage while celebrating the creativity of the Ireland of today.