‘What I wanted to do was use design to magnify the blend – its colour and sensorial qualities.’
‘The classic Hennessy X.O decanter has a wonderful, fundamental shape. Its contents have transcended time and continue to exist in a very contemporary way,’ says Newson. ‘What I wanted to do was use design to magnify the blend – its colour and sensorial qualities.’ In redesigning the bottle, says Newson, he was inspired by a lifelong fascination with glass. ‘Glass is a very fluid and organic material. Once you get to know it, it becomes a fascinating medium to work with.’
Newson has added rose-tinted gold detailing to the decanter’s bottleneck seal, furnishing the cloche-shaped vessel with the sensuous physicality of an art deco building. To showcase the design, he has also created a clear transparent gift box in a complex plastic material.
As the X.O bottle was reconsidered, its signature ribbed design became a focus. ‘Straight lines seemed to me a more modern interpretation of what already existed,’ explains Newson. ‘The stripes really emphasise the strength of the decanter’s shape. When they catch the light, they highlight both the bottle and the contents, making the whole feel warmer, more tactile. Taken together, all of these design elements are meant to convey the unique, immersive experience of X.O.’
To enjoy Hennessy X.O cognac, acknowledges designer Marc Newson, is to embark on a unique and richly hued, multisensory experience. ’We smell it, we examine it,’ says Newson. ‘Before we taste it, we swirl it around to make a full exploration of its colours and deep textures.’
In designing a glass bottle to amplify and enhance a cognac created in 1870, Newson, one of the most influential talents of his generation, has taken the brand’s classic decanter shape and created a dynamic variation that breaks with convention.
Open the Hennessy X.O by Marc Newson bottle and you begin a taste odyssey of seven distinct chapters that flow seamlessly into one another: