by Emmanuel Osanedum

In honour of the 50^th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, Hennessy is introducing a ‘Hennessy 50’ limited edition bottle. Fifty thousand of these special edition bottles have been created with unique numbers to serve as collector’s items for Nigerians as they celebrate the nation’s golden jubilee anniversary. These limited edition bottles will feature a redesigned black and gold label with a special gold 50 seal customised for Nigeria’s 50th anniversary.

According to the company, the launch of this limited edition is especially significant as Hennessy has created redesigned editions only twice in the past. The first was to commemorate the inauguration of the 44^th President of the United States in 2009, and the second was for Mexico’s bicentennial celebrations in July 2010, marking 200 years of Mexican independence. As with the editions created for the USA and Mexico, the ‘Hennessy 50’ edition for Nigeria has been limited to a fixed number of bottles, and will not be reproduced even after all 50,000 bottles have been exhausted.

Hennessy, which dates its relationship with Nigeria back to the early 1920s, will hold an official launch event on Saturday, September 11, hosted by the Ambassador of Hennessy, Cyrille Gautier-Auriol. The invitation-only black and gold themed night at the Lagos Oriental Hotel will feature musical performances from Nigerian artists celebrating the evolution of Nigerian culture and lifestyle over the past five decades.

David Hourdry, Market Manager for Moet Hennessy in West Africa, at a recent event, said “The House of Hennessy is proud to celebrate alongside Nigerians as they mark the 50th anniversary of their independence as a nation.” He further added that, “The launch of the Hennessy 50 limited edition bottle is a hallmark of the special relationship that our historic cognac house shares with the country.”

“Hennessy 50 is an ode to the evolution of Nigerian culture, which has grown vastly over the last five decades at home and around the world,” said Alex Kothoor, Managing Director of GDN Nigeria. “We are inviting Nigerians to look back on these unforgettable milestones and priceless occasions as October 1st 2010 approaches.”

In addition to the special limited edition ‘Hennessy 50’ bottles, Hennessy has also partnered with La Martina, the Argentinean polo jersey designer, to create 100 limited edition luxury jerseys to mark the launch of ‘Hennessy 50’ and Nigeria’s 50^th anniversary. The limited edition black and gold jerseys will be awarded to fans of the brand at Hennessy 50 parties in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, in the run up to October 1st 2010.

‘Hennessy 50’ will be available at all major supermarkets and stores around the country.