Maurice Hennessy, brand ambassador, and Roch Hennessy, the premium spirit brand's business development manager for China, visited Nigeria this week concluding their Heritage Tour of Africa

As well as Nigeria, the Hennessy cousins have visited Kenya and South Africa as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Hennessy VSOP cognac.  It is the first time they have travelled together to promote the brand.

"Two hundred years is amazing when you see what has happened in the world in that time," said Maurice Hennessy.

Genuine cognac can only be made from white wine grapes grown in the Cognac region of south-west France - Maurice Hennessy himself owns one of the vineyards which supplies grapes for the spirit. Ensuring the integrity of Hennessy cognac is an important part of the brand's international work and the company has a department dedicated to eliminating counterfeit spirits from the market.

Roch Hennessy said this tour was his first time to Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa: "It has been a really good experience - there is passion around the brand and everyone has been welcoming."

The cousins explained how, as Hennessy has become a global brand, every market appropriates the brand according to local culture and tastes. There are, according to Maurice and Roch, multiple ways to enjoy VSOP.

"We are present everywhere around the world [with a] vision of open-mindedness with every single market's culture," said Roch. "We don't fix the rules - we leave that up to the market."