Talk about no respect . . . even Rodney Dangerfield got some once and a while but not the erstwhile leader of North Korea, who some anonymous Chinese seem to enjoy lampooning with glee. This is an absolutely hilarious Chinese video series that makes fun of Kim Jong Il’s habit of sending “secret agents” to buy expensive booze (Hennessy XO) in China. There is even a mysterious man in black that thwarts the agent’s every effort.
Do check it out; it is a blast (non-nuclear).
9 Comments
Classic.
“Ah-ha!”, he thought to himself. “It’s Hennessy “VO”, not “XO”; I’m gonna post and straighten this guy out on his liquor brands”.
Turns out that just being a “window shopper” of fine liquor is quite insufficient. It’s indeed “Hennessy XO”; fortunately, the harsh taste of my “self-correction” was soothed going down, by some extremely cool and mellow jazz:
https://entourage.hennessy.com
Now why in the world do you suppose that M. Hennessey selected “Shanghai” for “marketing” his XO, back in 1872 (as opposed to, say, New York, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, etc.)? After all, the Dear Leader wasn’t even a gleam in his daddy’s (oops, granddaddy’s) eye yet.
So “XO” is evidently “old custom” for mainland China. Who knew.
Other Hennessey “brands” (if that’s the right word): VS, Privilege VSOP, Paradis Extra, Richard Hennessy, Ellipse.
What do you suppose happens if a DPRK “agent” returns across the border with the “wrong” Hennessy varietal? And who gets to “taste” a new bottle first, in order to guard against poison?
One longs irrationally for answers to these inconsequential but interesting questions. Doubtless the “taster” is somebody “expendable”, maybe even a peasant from the DPRK countryside. He’d be well qualified, as the “woody, spicy aromas” could be reminiscent of the taste of edible tree bark.
Now that’s what I’d call “eaux de vie”. And, after all, brandy IS for heroes…
Actually, Paul, I’d call Hennessy a cognac since it is from the Cognac region of France (brandy is just a general term for distilled wine).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognac_%28drink%29
Why can’t North Korean make counterfeits of that fine Hennity?
“Really?”, he sniffed, with his nose in the air, as he rolled his elegant cognac around in the crystal snifter engraved with the family coat of arms. “Why, dear me, old man — I’m merely repeating the standard paraphrase of Dr Samuel Johnson’s famous saying. You’ll find it quoted in its entirety, on Monsieur Hennessy’s own web site.”
https://entourage.hennessy.com; click on “our house” sublink (assuming you can get your own nose out of your PBR long enough to take a good look at your screen).
As though I’d accept a correction from a “someguy”! Now if it had come from “refinedgentlemaninKorea” — that would have been “barely acceptable”.
Not quite Austin Powers, but pretty funny!
““Really?”, he sniffed, with his nose in the air, as he rolled his elegant cognac around in the crystal snifter engraved with the family coat of arms. “Why, dear me, old man — I’m merely repeating the standard paraphrase of Dr Samuel Johnson’s famous saying. You’ll find it quoted in its entirety, on Monsieur Hennessy’s own web site.””
I’m harldy impressed by you attempt at witticism. Need I remind you that you are not Dr. Johnson and this isn’t 18th century England? Besides, had you been telling the truth, you wouldn’t have missed the ‘Hennessy Cognac’ logo that appears at least twice before arrive at that page, nor would you have failed to see the clear mention that Hennessy is a cognac below the quote you’ve mentioned.
PS. If it wasn’t for that dastardly French revolution, I’d be sipping cognac, not brandy, at the ancestral manor instead of being in Korea, entertaining the local gentry for mere peanuts.
Koguryo invented cognac.
Reminds me of early Zucker Brothers stuff–Kentucky Fried Movie style.