Hennessy VSOP Privilege Chinese New Year 2021 by Liu Wei
Hennessy VSOP Privilege Chinese New Year 2021 by Liu Wei is the Maison Hennessy's one-time 2021 Year of the Ox limited edition — the classic Hennessy VSOP Privilège blend (some 60+ eaux-de-vie aged in French oak) at 40% ABV, dressed in original artwork commissioned from Beijing contemporary artist Liu Wei. The VSOP edition wears a vibrant fuchsia-to-red gradient, the colors of success and good luck; a companion X.O in gold and red was released alongside. It's available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Blend: standard Hennessy VSOP Privilège (~60+ eaux-de-vie)
- Size: 750mL
- Edition: Chinese New Year 2021 — Year of the Ox, one-time release
- Artist: Liu Wei (Beijing contemporary artist; abstract painting "SPRING")
- Status: no longer in production — collector's bottle
Spring, by Liu Wei
Hennessy has made a tradition of handing its Chinese New Year bottles to contemporary artists, and for 2021 — the Year of the Ox — the commission went to Liu Wei, one of Beijing's leading abstract and conceptual painters. His painting "SPRING" brims with color, movement, and transformation; on the VSOP carafe it becomes a rich fuchsia-red gradient evoking, in the Maison's words, "spring's fresh cheerfulness." Liu Wei himself noted that "in cognac-making, there is space for infinite imagination." Inside is the VSOP Privilège the world knows — retailers explicitly confirm no blend difference — which makes this a pure collector's play: the cognac is timeless, the canvas is 2021. Browse more prestige bottles in cognac and brandy, or see all Hennessy.
Tasting Notes
The standard VSOP Privilège profile, per Hennessy: vanilla and oak notes over a mellow, elegant palate built from 60+ eaux-de-vie. Retailers add clove and cinnamon on the nose with a smooth, balanced palate — a versatile, polished cognac equally at home neat or in a Sidecar.
How to Enjoy
Most buyers will keep this one sealed — it's a display bottle commemorating a specific Lunar New Year, and production ended in 2021. If you do open it, treat it like the excellent VSOP it contains: neat, or in a classic Sidecar where the vanilla-oak profile shines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the cognac different from regular Hennessy VSOP?
No — the liquid is the standard VSOP Privilège blend; the 2021 edition is distinguished solely by Liu Wei's commissioned artwork.
Who is Liu Wei?
A leading Beijing-based contemporary artist known for abstract and conceptual work; his painting "SPRING" inspired the 2021 bottle design.
How many bottles were made?
The exact production count is unconfirmed — it was a one-time 2021 release, no longer in production.
Is it still available from Hennessy?
No — this was a single Lunar New Year edition; remaining bottles are collector's items.
Add a piece of cognac art history to your shelf — order the Hennessy VSOP Privilege Chinese New Year 2021 by Liu Wei online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
