Banky W, Eldee, Jesse Jagz and MI rock France with Hennessy Cognac

Jesse Jagz, Eldee, Cyrille Gaultier-Auriol, Banky W and MI

A week after releasing the theme song for Hennessy Artistry 2011, Eldee, Jesse Jagz and Banky W embarked on a scheduled trip to Cognac, France on September 5, 2011

The artistes were treated to “The Hennessy Heritage Experience” alongside Chocolate City’s MI who has worked closely with Hennessy in the past.

“This is really our way of giving these artistes a unique one on one experience with Hennessy Cognac” Communications Manager Tokini Peterside told journalists early this week.

While in France, these artistes were treated to a night in “Chateau de Bagnolet”- a private chateau in Cognac belonging to the Hennessy Family. Banky W, eLDee, Jesse Jagz and MI joined the likes of Common, The Roots and Alexander Burke on the list of prestigious guests at the exclusive Hennessy chateau.

“We were welcomed at the Chateau de Bagnolet by the Hennessy Ambassador, Cyrille Gautier Auriol. It was a big one for me knowing that noteworthy guests like Joe Cocker, Ray Charles and others have also been hosted there before”  Banky W says.

He continues “We went through the Vineyard, where we were made to understand the difference between the grape varieties chosen and used during Hennessy production, after which we returned to the Chateau de Bagnolet where we mixed our special Hennessy Concoctions with the assistance of a mixologist.

“The highest point of the trip for me was when we met Renaud de Gironde- (A member of the Filioux family who have served as Hennessy’s master blenders since 1765), he took us through a process of blending, and we each got to create a unique blend of our own in bottles bearing our names and labels. We brought these back with us to Lagos”” eLDee says.

In addition to visiting Hennessy’s vineyards, the artistes also visited the Founder’s Cellar - Hennessy has over 42 kilometers of Cellars in Cognac

“It was massive” MI who has worked closely with Hennessy since 2009 says “On each barrel in the Founder’s cellar was the year when the eaux-de-vie (a pure colorless brandy extracted from fermented grape juice) was first placed into the barrel, and we saw dozens of barrels dated as far back as 1836!”

Producer Jesse Jagz adds, “My favorite part of the trip was when we returned to Paris on September 7. We went to Galleries Lafayette, the Eiffel Tower and L’arc de triomphe, and then we finished the evening at the top of the stunning Centre Pompidou. We were blown away by the city's beauty.”

The team returned to Nigeria on September 8, 2011.

Hennessy Nigeria Communications Manager Tokini Peterside says the experience and trip for the musicians is a “strong commitment from Hennessy to exciting collaborations with Nigerian talents”

On Thursday September 1, the 2011 Hennessy Artistry theme song was released on the Beat 99.9 FM and progressively became viral online within minutes of release. Titled “Toast to the Good Life”, after hundreds of audience suggestions, the track blends together the talents of Banky W, eLDee the Don and Tiwa Savage and was produced by Jesse Jagz with support from Banky W and Master Kraft.

For further details on Hennessy Artistry 2011, or to catch up with the headliners and the upcoming events, check out www.facebook.com/HennessyNigeria.

For further quotes, enquiries, pictures, snippets or interviews, please email: nike@bhmng.com or info@bhmng.com or call Nike on +23418102840

More pictures

Clowning around with Hennessy Master Blender, Renaud de Gironde

MI gets behind the bar to make a signature cocktail

With the Hennessy Ambassador in the Distillery