Celebrate Chinese New Year with these limited art-inspired Year of the Tiger mantle showpieces from Hennessy and Glenfiddich.
We’ve often seen how the world of art and spirits collide; in more recent years spirit brands have gamely tied up with artists of all bents and stripes to create seminal works that adorn their limited-edition releases. Here’s a look at what Hennessy and Glenfiddich has been up to with their special Chinese New Year drops this Year of the Tiger.
Hennessy x Zhang Enli
In one of the more vivid examples in recent time, Cognac brand Hennessy has tied up with internationally renown Chinese artist Zhang Enli to design special artwork for its limited ‘Year of the Tiger’ Chinese New Year V.S.O.P and X.O editions.
Art connoisseurs would be most familiar with Shanghai-based Zhang, one of the most prominent contemporary artists in China who has exhibited his work internationally in Rome, New York, and London, and most recently in Shanghai. For this special commission, Zhang has combined his signature style of interpreting objects into dreamlike compositions with an inspiration drawn from the attributes of the tiger into a showpiece called ‘Poetry and Wine Welcome the Tiger’.
“While this painting may be different from traditional tiger-themed paintings, my hope is that people will intuitively recall the animal’s beauty and vitality. ‘Poetry and Wine Welcome the Tiger’ is about spirit and sense over appearances; about the force of transformation, even in the tiniest details,” Zhang shared.
As such both limited edition bottles are flourished with vibrant hues of celebratory red and gold using classical Chinese brush painting strokes with a contemporary twist, making them
The special Chinese New Year editions of Hennessy X.O and Hennessy V.S.O.P are available on Moët Hennessy LazMall as well as other specialist stores at a recommended retail price of S$398 and S$128 respectively.
Glenfiddich x Rlon Wang
Glenfiddich has continued its collaboration with Rlon Wang for 2022, taking its partnership with the Shenzen, China-based illustrator into its third and final year.
Wang’s contemporary art style is more youthful and maverick than even most of his contemporary artist peers. He also has a penchant for incorporating rich imagery from East Asian folklore and mythology, making him the perfect artistic collaborator for Glenfiddich. Like his previous works in the Year of the Rat and the Year of the Ox, Wang has maintained his signature style for the Year of the Tiger to end off the trilogy.
What’s really impressive about Wang’s visceral and colourful works for the trilogy is that they are more than art. They also weave a thought-provoking story that ties back to the founding of Glenfiddich, all the way to its eventual popularity as the world’s best-selling single malt whisky.
“I was able to use a technique of multi- layered illustrations to put people’s brightest hopes and dreams on a canvas. I gave the design an otherworldly feel with the use of traditional symbols in futuristic forms. We see old friends – Glenfiddich’s Royal Stag and the traditional dancing Chinese lion – ascending to the stars with a bright galaxy in front of them; auspicious lanterns, lotus flowers and a soaring phoenix guide them into a vibrant world full of galactic proportions,” Wang explained of his work.
Wang’s design for 2022 is emblazoned on the limited-edition gift packs for the Glenfiddich Reserva Rum Cask 21 Year Old, as well as the 12-, 15- and 18-Year Old expressions in its core range.
The limited Chinese New Year 2022 edition gift packs are available from the official William Grant & Sons Store on LazMall and Shopee, as well as other authorised retailers in-store and online including Getit, Cellarbration, 1855 The Bottle Shop, 75CL.sg, iShopChangi, and selected Cold Storage and FairPrice outlets.
Follow us on Telegram to get updated on events and other spirited announcements!
