Interview with Benoît Gindraud, Director of Aging and Cooperage and member of the Hennessy Tasting Committee, and Mathieu Plantin, cooper at Hennessy and named Best Apprentice of France in 2023.
Welcome to the « La Tonnellerie Atelier », the Hennessy cooperage workshop. Hennessy, the world’s leading cognac Maison founded in 1765 which is renowned in over 160 countries for its know-how and the quality of its cognac, a blend of exceptional eaux-de-vie aged in oak barrels that give it its amber hue.
Benoît Gindraud: Of course! I come from a family of winegrowers in Charente, so I have always been surrounded by barrels. However, it was only during my teenage years that I truly became fascinated by the craft. I was captivated by the blend of tradition, precision, and the vital role that barrels play in shaping the final product. Today, as the Director of Aging and Cooperage at Hennessy and a member of the Tasting Committee, I witness how essential barrel quality is during our daily tastings and over-time management of the eaux-de-vie stock.
Mathieu Plantin: As for me, it was a childhood revelation: during a festival, I witnessed a demonstration of barrel heating and was fascinated by the fire, water, sparks, and the smell of wood. This memory never left me. After a traditional academic path and some professional experiences, I decided to change direction and secured an internship at Hennessy, where I rediscovered that intact magic. Learning the gestures, the precision of manual work, and the spirit of transmission confirmed my vocation.
Benoît Gindraud: « La Tonnellerie Atelier » is an emblematic place of the history and values of Maison Hennessy. It embodies an ancestral expertise: the shaping and maintenance of the barrels in which the eaux-de-vie age. For over two centuries, the craftsmen of the Maison have passed down their passion, the knowledge of materials, and the handling of tools to shape barrels entirely by hand.
Mathieu Plantin: Coopering is not just a physical job—it's a mental discipline. The key lies in observation, precision, and patience. Training usually starts with an apprenticeship that lasts four to five years, but even after this formal training, it takes about 10 years to become a skilled cooper. But at the end of the day, it’s a profession driven by passion. The quality of the barrel is just as crucial as the eaux-de-vie inside it, and the ageing process of cognac requires great expertise and dedication.
Mathieu Plantin: At Hennessy, the transformation of oak into a barrel involves several precise steps. First, the oak logs are carefully cut into staves and shaped using specialized tools to achieve the perfect fit. Then, we arrange and assemble these staves into a barrel, held together with metal hoops. The staves are toasted over a fire to bring out the wood's aromatic properties, which will enhance the aging process and the flavors of the eaux-de-vie. The bottom of the barrel is meticulously shaped and fitted to ensure a secure and airtight seal. Finally, the barrel undergoes a thorough cleaning and polishing, and the metal hoops are secured.
Benoît Gindraud: At the heart of aging, the art of cooperage has been perpetuated at Hennessy since 1776. Even if we work with several independent cooperages in the region, Hennessy is the only cognac Maison to have maintained this expertise within its teams. This know-how is one of the reasons why our Maison is recognized “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (Living Heritage Company).
Benoît Gindraud: The maturation of eaux-de-vie involves a subtle exchange between the wood of the barrel, the air of the cellar and the eau-de-vie over time. It's a controlled process, a quiet, carefully calibrated time of rest during which nothing is left to chance. It will impact the color, promote the development of the aromas and forge the character of our eaux-de-vie, and thus, our exceptional cognacs.
Benoît Gindraud: In the production of cognac, the quality of the wood used for the barrels is of utmost importance. At Hennessy, we use oak of French origin, known for its large grain, which is strong yet flexible enough for crafting barrels. The wood itself is aged outside, where it is exposed to the wind, sun and rain for at least three years before being shaped into the staves used to make the barrels.
Mathieu Plantin: In « La Tonnellerie Atelier », once the oak barrel is finalized, we also encircle it with metal and chestnut hoops, which are hand-tied with iron or wicker wire. The hoops positioned on the barrel are the final step in its creation; it is then signed and dated on the bottom with chalk by the cooper who made it.
Benoît Gindraud: It takes so long because oak trees need to grow slowly to develop the right characteristics for cooperage - only a minority of the trees will have the sufficient qualities: for cognac barrels, the oak must be dense and mature enough to ensure a balanced exchange between the eaux-de-vie and the wood. It thus takes at least 80 years to develop the right structural properties: low porosity to prevent excessive evaporation and a rich content of tannins that contribute to the final aromas of the eaux-de-vie.
The climate and soil conditions in the forest it grows in also play a crucial role in shaping the wood’s characteristics, contributing to the unique qualities of each barrel.
Benoît Gindraud: To ensure the preservation of this resource, Hennessy prioritizes sourcing oak from sustainably managed French forests. The Maison also values its own forest estate in the Berry, which has been certified for sustainable management since 2002. We also work in collaboration with the ONF (Office National de Forêts) to replant a 25-hectare oak grove by 2026. In 2023, Hennessy teams took part in the planting of the first 4,000 trees, including 2,500 oaks and “precious” hardwoods such as nannyberry and cranberry.
This commitment goes hand-in-hand with a desire to minimize raw material consumption through the craftsmanship of manual production excellence.
Mathieu Plantin: Sustainability is also reflected in our internal practices in « La Tonnellerie Atelier »: the wood residues from used barrels are recycled to fuel the heating process for new barrels.
