Hennessy Official Cognac Partner of the 2026 BRIT Awards

LVMH’s Hennessy Cognac is the official cognac partner for the 2026 BRIT Awards. In a landmark tie-in announced in February 2026, Hennessy will be the exclusive cognac sponsor of the ceremony’s first-ever Manchester edition. This partnership aligns the 260-year-old brand with a high-profile music event and taps into Manchester’s rich musical heritage. As one press release notes, Hennessy has “long lived alongside music culture,” with references in pop and hip-hop songs and even tour sponsorships. The move is timed to leverage the awards’ debut outside London and to engage a young, music-loving audience.

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Aligning with Music Culture

Hennessy has built strong associations with music over decades. The brand is name-checked in tracks like Drake’s “One Dance” and Tupac’s “Hennessy”, and even sponsors current acts (for example, Hennessy is a global sponsor for Bad Bunny’s world tour). Managing Director Julie Nollet emphasizes this connection: “Hennessy has long lived alongside music culture,” she said, noting that the cognac “has been referenced in songs” and “shared at pivotal moments… across scenes for generations”. By partnering with the BRIT Awards, Hennessy leverages this heritage. Nollet adds that as the BRITs come to Manchester, “we’re proud to celebrate a city whose creativity and energy has shaped British music”. In messaging around the deal, Hennessy highlights Manchester acts like Oasis, The Stone Roses and Joy Division to underline the city’s influence.

This positioning serves multiple strategic purposes. First, it reinforces Hennessy’s brand story of creativity and cultural relevance. Aligning with music and city pride can refresh the image of a heritage spirit for younger consumers. Second, it taps into valuable demographics: for example, media analysis shows the BRIT Awards draw a strong younger viewership (one report notes a 53% audience share among 16-34 year-olds), an important segment that tends to spend heavily on music-related experiences. In short, Hennessy’s imagery as “Made for More” or “infinite versatility” resonates naturally in a music setting, and the BRITs partnership amplifies that message.

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Citywide Brand Activations in Manchester

Beyond on-stage sponsorship, Hennessy is staging a wide-ranging marketing activation across Manchester to coincide with the event. The city’s nightlife and bars will transform into “Hennessy hubs” in the weeks around the awards. According to official announcements, highlights include:

• Mollie’s Studio IV (Feb 16-Mar 9) - A speakeasy-style pop-up at Mollie’s Hotel & Diner. This venue will host a live Britpop cover band and serve as an immersive Hennessy cocktail lounge before and during awards week.
  
  
• Off The Square (Feb 28) - A club night on BRITs night featuring DJs. Headliners include BRIT-nominated DJ Pied Piper (of the Vibe Allstars) and DJ Silk, bringing “BRITs energy” to Manchester’s dance floors.
  
  
• City Bar Takeovers - Throughout February, multiple Manchester bars (Hotel Gotham, Speak in Code, Wood&Co, Bunny Jacksons, Dusk Till Pawn, Bar Shrimp, Stray, Federico) will offer bespoke Hennessy cocktails and British music themes. For example, venues will serve the cognac-based margarita variant “Henny Rita” and host BRITs-themed karaoke or DJ sets.
  
  

These activations are designed to create shareable experiences and drive foot traffic. By hosting events in iconic local venues, Hennessy embeds itself in Manchester’s culture and gains media coverage beyond the televised show. Guests can sample curated Hennessy drinks (underscoring the brand’s “versatility” with cocktail recipes) while enjoying live music or DJs - a strategy that effectively turns the award week into an extended branded festival.

From a marketer’s perspective, these targeted events deliver on several fronts: they reinforce Hennessy’s presence in the UK market, they engage fans directly with hands-on experiences (rather than a passive TV ad), and they generate social media buzz (influencers and attendees likely share photos of the pop-up and themed cocktails). The result is an on-brand activation that complements the main sponsorship announcement.

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Industry Context: Spirits and Awards Sponsorship

Hennessy’s BRIT Awards partnership is part of a broader trend of spirit brands integrating with major entertainment events. For example, Bacardi-owned Patrón Tequila was announced as the “Official Tequila Partner” of the 2026 Grammy Awards. Patrón launched a special “Golden Record” Grammy cocktail and hosted exclusive events during Grammy Week, highlighting its cultural links to music (Patrón notes over 400 song mentions in its history). Likewise, niche spirits brands have sought awards-related exposure: in January 2026 Cygnet Gin (a small-batch gin) was featured in the Golden Globes gift bag, with every recipient receiving bottles of Cygnet’s limited-edition gin.

These examples illustrate how alcohol brands use entertainment sponsorships to amplify their lifestyle image. Major award shows offer high visibility (the Grammys and Golden Globes are watched globally) and media attention, so being an “official partner” or gift-bag item can boost brand prestige. For Hennessy, aligning with the BRITs taps the British pop culture market specifically. Comparatively, partnering with the BRITs may target UK and European audiences (and streaming viewers internationally), whereas Patrón at the Grammys targets the US and Latin markets.

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Takeaways for Brand Marketers

The Hennessy-BRITs collaboration offers several lessons for alcohol marketers and brand leaders:

• Brand Fit and Storytelling: Hennessy’s association with music (via song mentions and celebrity endorsements) made the BRITs a natural fit. The brand can authentically claim “we live alongside music culture”. Marketers should seek events or influencers that genuinely resonate with their brand story. A forced or unrelated partnership can backfire, but a well-aligned one (like a cognac at a music award) feels coherent.
  
  
• Target Audience Alignment: Major music awards attract young adults. As industry data shows, the BRIT Awards have successfully drawn over half of all viewers in the 16-34 demographic. Spirits brands looking to reach that group (who spend more on live music and experiences) can gain ground through such events. Hennessy in particular benefits by reinforcing its appeal to younger hip-hop and pop fans, beyond its traditional market.
  
  
• Experiential Engagement: The month-long activations demonstrate best practices in experiential marketing. Instead of a single ad, Hennessy created multiple touchpoints - pop-up bars, DJs, signature cocktails - to immerse consumers. This multi-venue approach fosters personal interaction and content generation (photos, reviews, social posts).
  
  
• Competitive Differentiation: By sponsoring the BRITs, Hennessy distinguishes itself from competitors. Cognac is a category that often competes on heritage; here, Hennessy is staking a claim to cultural relevance. Meanwhile, other spirits also chase music credentials (Patrón at the Grammys, various vodkas at film awards), so differentiation comes through the unique style of activation. Hennessy’s British pubs/club takeover is a creative angle that stands apart from, say, Patrón’s red-carpet events.
  
  
• Measuring Impact: While hard ROI numbers aren’t publicly available, marketers would track metrics like social media engagement, event attendance, and subsequent sales. The lift in brand mentions or cocktails sold at partner bars could be a proxy. Awareness spikes (TV ads featuring Hennessy during the broadcast, press coverage of the partnership) are other indicators. One should note, however, that such partnerships carry cost and uncertain direct sales lift. The “drawbacks” of any sponsorship include high fees and the risk that impact is short-term if not reinforced by follow-up marketing.
  
  

In summary, Hennessy’s Brit Awards sponsorship is a strategic case study in music-driven brand marketing. By connecting a heritage spirit with contemporary pop culture, the campaign leverages Manchester’s launch of the awards and Hennessy’s own music credentials to energize the brand. Other spirit brands are making similar moves (e.g. Patrón at the Grammys) or aligning with Hollywood (e.g. Cygnet Gin in Golden Globes gift bags), highlighting a trend where alcohol brands seek cultural relevance through entertainment tie-ins. For alcohol industry executives, the key lesson is to align sponsorships with genuine brand stories and to invest in engaging, measurable activations that go beyond the headline sponsor title.