BRANDY
Brandy is the concentrated goodness of wine. Fundamentally brandy is the distillation of wine
The term is derived from the Dutch term “Brandewijn” which mean “burnt wine.” A reference
to the heat applied to the wine in a still. But the term brandy is also used to embrace distillate
made from the other fruits such as Calvados from apple Slivovitz from plums and Kirsch from
cherries. In France these are correctly known as eaux de vie de fruits where as the brandy is
known as eaux de vie de vin. Grape brandy is made in all wine producing countries like France,
Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, United States of America, Australia, Israel, South Africa and
South America.
Of all the brandies the French especially Cognac and Armagnac are most highly regarded. The
French laws of controlled appellation demand territorial integrity, as well as controlling the
types of vines to be used and in what density they are planned. This in turn, determine yield
and regulate quality. Distilling also obeys fixed regulations ensuring that spirits produced elase
where will never be used to adulterate the native spirit. Cognac and Armagnac have set
standards of quality by which all other brandies are judged.
COGNAC
Cognac is defined as the brandy produced from the Charente and Charente Maritime
Department of south western France extending over an area of 2’50’000 acres enclosing the
city of Cognac squarely in between which lends it’s name to the brandy produced in this
delimited region. The others criteria to be complied with are:
1 . It must be produced from the following grapes:
a) Saint Emilion, also called as Ugni Blanc
b) Folle Blanche
c) Columbard
Now a days it is produced mainly from only Saint Emilion grapes.
2. The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills.
3. Must be aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais
.
Producing region and legal definitions:
The region authorised to produce Cognac is divided into six zones, including five crus broadly
covering the department of Charente-Maritime, a large part of the department of Charente and
a few areas in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six zones are: Grande Champagne, Petite
Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois Ordinaire.
Grand Champagne: Located south of the town of Cognac and Jarnac, this innermost sector full
of chalk and limestone produces fine, elegant,and most delicately fragrant brandies. These
classic brandies take 15 years or longer maturing in casks before they reveal their exceptional
qualities. The word Champagne has nothing top do with celebrated sparkling wine. Here it
conveys the French interpretations indicating a region of chalky soil. The name comes from the
Latin Campania meaning field or cultivated area.
Petit Champagne: This larger area is second only to Grand Champagne in terms of quality.
There is slightly smaller portion of chalk in the soil which is less friable. This brandy ages more
quickly and becomes mellower sooner but it tends to be lighter in body.
Borderies: This small zone has only half the carbonate of lime found in Grand Champagne and
Petit Champagne. The brandy made here ages rapidly and is more robust, lacking the delicacy
and elegance associated with fine brandies but it does give body to any blend.
Fine Bois: The soil here is looser and more pebbly. The brandies produced are sound rather
than spectacular and they age rapidly. Bois means wood as the slopes of the hillsides were
covered with trees before being cleared and turned into vineyards.
Bons Bois: The zone has a variation of richer soil including clay and sand. The brandies are
pleasant but a bit thin and sometimes have a earthy flavour.
Bois Ordinares/ Bois Commune: Due to the proximity of the Atlantic: the soil has now become
more sandy. The salt wind give these thin brandies distinctive earthy flavor. The use of sea
weed as a fertilizer may also influence the flavor. Major distillers rarely use any of the Bois
grapes to make their classic styles.
The distillation of Cognac started sometime between 1620 and 1630. Heavy taxation on wine at
that time meant that only a small proportion of wine was sold. This inevitably led to over
production, so the farmers in order to save space and preserve the wine, started to distill. In
late seventeenth century Dutch and Scandinavian salt merchants who did their customary
business through port of La Rochelle had developed a taste for this course crude wine.
Recognising that taxation was levied on bulk and not on alcohol content
Production process
Cognac is made from grapes produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of
the growth areas.
Grapes
The wine is very dry, acidic, and thin, "virtually undrinkable", but excellent for distillation and
aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties, if it is to carry the name of one
of the crus then it must be at least 90% Ugni Blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle
Blanche and Colombard, although 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc,
Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, Montils or Sémillon. Cognacs which are
not to carry the name of a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90%
Colombard, Folle Blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni
Blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.
Fermentation
After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for two or three weeks, with the
region's native, wild yeasts converting the sugar into alcohol; neither sugar nor sulfur may be
added.[ At this point, the resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.
Although some major distillers own vineyards and make their own wine most buy grapes or
wine – even young Cognacs from local farmers. After the grapes have been gathered and
brought in from vines, they are pressed and the juice is fermented into a wine – albeit a harsh
wine. It is said locally that the best Cognacs are made from the worst wine. That may be the
case but the wine must be healthy and sound as any blemishes would be carried through the
distillation and show up later.
Distillation:
The new wine is put into a still. The still used is a pot still known in Cognac region as alembic
Charentais/Cognac‚ais. The design of the still was perfected in the seventeenth century by the
Dutch. The still consists of a huge copper kettle or boiler encased in a brick framework with
provision for an open furnace underneath. The brick furnace is known as Chaudière in French.
On top of the boiler is the chapiteau or hood from which the pipe shaped like a swan’s neck
protrudes. This swan’s neck is called col de cygne. This carries the vapour through or past the
prheater and then into the condenser coil which is kept immersed in cold running water. It is
here that the vapours are converted into a liquid. The material used in the still is pure copper
because wine being distilled throws off acids which can dissolve metal. The acids have less
effect on copper and as the still gets older they gradually build up a resistance to acids. Spirits
emerging from the new stills always show traces of copper. The copper character is known as
goût de cuivre‘and disappears after about a year of cask ageing.
Before distillation begins the two important decisions have to be made, the size of the still to be
used and whether or not to use a preheater (chauffe-vin). It is known that smaller stills make
more distinctive brandies. Larger stills make smoother brandies with little less character.
Regarding the use of the preheater some major distillers such as Hennessey use them. They
speed up the distilling process, save fuel and most importantly prevent the scalded taste that is
noticeable when cool wine is put onto a hot surface. Others such as Martell don’t use the
preheater as they feel wine should take the natural course through the distilling process and by
doing so they believe that purer product is obtained.
In the making of Cognac there are two separate distillations, the first one is called premier
chauffe and the second one is called bonne chauffe.
Premier chauffe: (First distillation)
In the premier chauffe the wine is taken from the fermenting vats with or without it’s lees and
is put into a boiler. If the lees or impurities are added, some believe that they give a fuller
character to the spirit. The heat source slow and regular brings the temperature to 78.4®C
when the alcohol evaporates. The vapours are taken by tube through the preheater ( if used)
thereby heating the new wine about to be distilled. From there the vapours are conducted into
the condenser where they are converted into a liquid.
The first liquid to emerge from the condenser is called produit de tête or “heads”. It is pungent
and contains ethers and is almost toxic and certainly unpleasant. It is removed and added to
new batch of wine to be distilled.
The next liquid to emerge is technically known as brouillis (boiling up), but in distilling terms it
is also known as the heart. Or the best or the centre part of the distillation. It is put to one side
and has alcoholic strength of 25 to 30 percent by volume.
The final liquid to emerge from the still is known as tails or produit de queue. This is very low in
alcohol- the water is also evaporating by this time – and is full of impurities. It is added along
with the heads to the new wine.
Bonne chauffe (Second distillation):
It takes three lots of brouillis to fill the still for the second distillation which is known as the bonne
chauff ( the good heat ). Whereas the first distillation takes about 10 hours the second
distillation takes about 14 hours or more. The aim is to extract maximum alcohol and
flavourings. Again there will be heads hearts and tails. The heads and tails will be separated and
added to the incoming brouillis. The heart will be new brandy, raw, white with harsh overtones
often accentuated by copper. It will have a definite bouquet and an alcoholic strength of 70 to
72% by volume. The new spirit is known locally as la vigne en fleur- “the vine in flower”.
The new colourless Cognac is put into new casks to mature.
Maturing of Cognac:
Cognac is matured in casks made from Limousin oak. Limousin east of Angoulême has always
been a natural forest. The wood so important to Cognac, has the degree of porosity and tannin
content. Before being made into casks, the wood is matured for seven years- four years in open
and three years under cover, but with access to air. This dries the wood and some soluble
extracts evaporates. Sometimes young Cognacs are stored in wood that comes from the forest
of Tronc͵ais in central France. The wood is harder, less absorbing and has less tannin than the
Limousin quality. It is mostly used for short term storage. Casks vary in capacity but the ideal
size of casks for maturation holds 350 litres (92.5 gallons).
The conditions of storage are also important. Many of the warehouses are located near the
river which created damp storage conditions. Brandies loose bulk in dry warehouses and loose
strength in very damp warehouses so a happy medium is sought. Young casks absorb a liberal a
liberal quantity of spirit and the spirit absorbs tannin from the wood. Some tannin is necessary
for mellowness and flavor but too much gives the spirit a woody flavor which is highly
undesirable. So the young brandy is left for about six months before being transferred to older
casks. During it’s time in the cask air will penetrate into the pores of the wood and causes the
brandy to loose it’s harshness and fiery character. Oxidation which also takes place through the
porous wood, will develop bouquet and taste. Some tannin will be absorbed and some colour
and flavor too, but while older casks will mellow the spirit, they have less to offer in terms of
character building as the wood has now become more neutral. Because the alcohol dissipates
faster than the water, cognac reaches the target 40% alcohol by volume in about four or five
decades, though lesser grades can be produced much sooner by diluting the cognac with water,
which also makes its flavor less concentrated
The rate of oxidation is relative to the humidity in the warehouse, but during the ageing process
in casks- which can last in some cases up to 50 years or more- 2 to 3 percent of alcohol escapes
into the air annually. That is the reason to why building around the warehouses has a black
sooty appearance. The loss through the evaporation known locally as “angel’ share”. The
distillers estimate that they loose to the equivalent of 2 million bottles annually but they are
philosophical about it, merely saying that the sun is our best customer. The black colour fungus
which feeds on this evaporated alcohol is known as Torula compniacinecis. To make up for the
loss each cask is refreshed or topped up annually with spirit of the same quality. Since oak
barrels stop contributing to flavor after four or five decades, cognac is then transferred to large
glass carboys called bonbonnes, then stored for future blending.
Blending:
When the Cognac is required for sale the skill of the blender comes into play. The blender has
to marry together the contents of many casks taking into account the length of time the spirit
has matured and the special characteristics that the individual casks have imparted to the spirit
during the storage. Sometimes wonderful and extraordinary old Cognacs are stored in a section
of the warehouse called le paradis. The blender may decide to use some of the quality to give
the blend an uplift. The main aim is get a consistent product that is typical of the distillery’s
style and worthy of it’s name. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon Painturaud
and Moyet, do not blend their final product from different ages of eaux-de-vie to produce a
'purer' flavour (a practice roughly equivalent to the production of a single-cask Scotch whisky)
Nearly all cognacs will have to be diluted to a potable strength, usually 40% by volume. This is
done gradually over a few months by adding distilled water or petit eaux, a combination of
weak brandy and water. Then final touches are added—a little caramel to enhance the colour
and the little sugar syrup to soften the blend. Cognac id filtered before being bottled to ensure
a star bright appearance. Once bottled it will remain constant. It will not mature any further.
Grades or label terminology:
Internationally Cognac may not be sold until it is at least 3 years old and age always refers to
the youngest brandy in the blend. Terminology is nearly always confusing because age
indicators are not consistent from company to company. However according to the
interprofessional French institution BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac), the official
quality grades of cognac are the following:



V.S. ("very special"), Very Special, or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a blend in which
the youngest brandy has been stored for at least two years in cask.
V.S.O.P. ("very superior old pale") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is
stored for at least four years in a cask, but the average wood age is much older.
XO ("extra old") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is stored for at least
six years but on average for upwards of 20 years. On 1 April 2016, the minimum
storage age of the youngest brandy used in an XO blend will be set to ten years.
The names of the grades are in English because the historical cognac trade, particularly
in the 18th century, significantly involved the British, as explained at the FAQ of the
BNIC website.
In addition the following grades can be mentioned:





Napoleon is a grade equal to XO in terms of minimum age, but it is generally marketed
in-between VSOP and XO in the product range offered by the producers.
Extra designates a minimum of 6 years of age; this grade is usually older than a
Napoleon or an XO.
Vieux is another grade between the official grades of VSOP and XO.
Vieille Réserve is, like the Hors d´Âge, a grade beyond XO.
Hors d'âge ("beyond age") is a designation which BNIC states is equal to XO, but in
practice the term is used by producers to market a high quality product beyond the
official age scale.
Grand Champagne or Grand Fine Champagne: Refers to a Cognac made exclusively
from grapes grown in the premier growing area of Grand Champagne zone. It is the
ultimate Cognac, elegant in style and when aged to perfection has unrivalled finesse.
Fine Champagne: It is another excellent style of Cognac. It is made from grapes
harvested from the Grand Champagne and Petit Champagne region but minimum 50%
grapes should be from the Grand Champagne region.
Fine Maison: Is a quickly matured Cognac which is made specifically for a group of
outlets or restaurants or for an individual restaurant that wishes to market the Cognac
under it’s own name and label, in other words BOB (Buyer’s Own Brand). The product is
usually smooth and delicate offering good value.
Early landed Cognac: It was fairly customary at one time but not so much today, for some
British merchants to ship quantities of young Cognacs—a year or so old – to Britain so that it
could mature more slowly in casks in cooler, damper bonded warehouses in London, Bristol and
Leith. This practice produced a brandy of great smoothness that was eventually sold under the
importer’s name. The label showed the date the spirit was shipped from Cognac and when it
was bottled.
Well known brands:
While there are close to 200 cognac producers,[1] a large percentage of cognac—90% according
to one 2008 estimate—is produced by only four companies: Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell,
and Rémy Martin. Hennessey sells about 50 million bottles of Cognac worldwide or more than
40% of the world’s Cognac, making it the world’s largest Cognac producer.
Biscuit, Camus, Courvoisier, Davidoff, Delamain, Delon, Hennessey, Martell, Hine, Otard,
Polignac, Remy Martin, Renault.
Armagnac
Armagnac is the other great French brandy. It was first distilled in the fifteenth century, so it
even predates Cognac. Until the Dutch, trading from the port of Bayonne, discovered the
attraction of eau de vie d’Armagnac the spirit had only a local reputation. Because of its inland
location there had been great difficulty in getting the product, to market, and with the
exception of the Dutch, this continued to be a commercial problem until the 1830s when the
River Baise was made into a canal and linked to Bordeaux. Trade immediately developed, but
by then Cognac had been firmly establish as the world’s favourite brandy. Armagnac is
produced in the Gers department in the heart of Gascony. The region was delimited in 1990
and divided into three zones of production: Bas-Armagnac, Tenareze and Haut-Armagnac.
Bas-Armagnac: is the source of the really outstanding Armagnacs. The soil is rich with a
topsoil of boulbene, a fine alluvial deposit-- a legacy of the time when all this part of southwest France was under water-covering a subsoil composed predominantly of sand and some
clay. Eauze is the zone’s capital and the brandies produced are full, rounded and supple with a
bouquet of prunes and plums.
Armagnac Tenareze: surrounds the capital Condom. The soil is a mixture of boulbene, chalk
and clay, producing fast-maturing, full-flavoured brandies with a perceptible floral scent of
violets.
Haut-Armagnac: lies around the town of Auch, and is the largest of the three sectors. It has
classic chalky soil and produces good table wines, but the poorest of all wine for making into
brandy. Instead, when the wine is distilled the spirit is mainly used as a base for liqueurs or for
preserving fruit- - like the local speciality prunes in Armagnac.
Grapes:
The specialty grapes are the Ugni Blanc (St Emilion), Picpoule (Folle Blanche), Colombard and
the Hybrid Baco 22A. The latter is a cross between the Folle Blanche and the American grape
Noah. It was introduced after the Armagnac vineyards were devastated by the aphid phylloxera
in 1893. The hardy and reliable Ugnii Blanc is the mainstay of production, accounting for
fourth-fifths of the land under the vine. The Baco is disliked by Brussels because it is a hybrid
and was to be banned from the year 2010. However, advocates for the grape variety and its
historical role in Armagnac were able to persuade French authorities to continue permitting its
use in the distilled wines from the Armagnac region.]
Making Armagnac:
Distillation takes place during the winter, no later than 31st March on the year following the
harvest; for several years now, this date has been brought forward by an annual decree.
Armagnac is made in a still unique to the region. The still is called alembic Armagnac͵aise The
still was purposely developed in the nineteenth century by Edward Adams and is modification
of the continous still. It has, however, a much shorter condensing column, and therefore it can
produce a sprit low in alcohol- about 53 percent by volume- thereby retaining a good
proportion of organic compounds, even impurities which give flavour, aroma and an earthy,
rustic charm to the sprit. The stills are easily transportable and are moved about the district to
service the needs of the small growers. Since 1972 the pot still has also been used to make
Armagnac, and this type of still produces a mellower, stronger spirit. However about 95 percent
of Armagnac are produced by the single distillation in patent still.
Maturation: Armagnac in youth is absolutely colourless. It is put into dark-coloured cask
made from the sappy Monlezun oak, which comes from the forest of Bas-Armagnac. This wood,
which imparts colour to the spirit, is also noted for its fast-maturing qualities. The cask are
never kept full to the brim as oxidation is considered beneficial to the maturing process. During
maturation in the cool, dark cellars, the spirit loses some of its fire and earthiness. A good
Armagnac should be round and smooth with no hint of harshness. But it will always retain a
trace of pungency and a suggestion of fire.
Blending
When the cellarmaster deems the ageing period to be sufficient, he begins blending. This
process is called "coupage" and its aim is to assemble various eaux-de-vie of different origins
and ages in a harmonious blend. A mixture of distilled water and Armagnac, called petites eaux,
is gradually added to the blend in order to reduce the alcoholic strength (minimum 40 percent
by volume.)
Label terminology: Armagnac is sometimes cask matured for 20years or more. However, as it ages
faster than Cognac it usually gets less time to mature in wood.
The label descriptions, outside those of the vintages, always refer to the age of the youngest
eau-de-vie in the blend.
Hors d'Age is a marriage of eaux-de-vie where the youngest Armagnac has aged in wood for
more than 10 years.
The same rule applies to Armagnacs that denote ages of 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, etc.
Three stars: indicates cask maturation of 2 years for the youngest Armagnac in the blend
years.
VSOP: indicates
that the minimum age of the youngest Armagnac in the blend is 5 years.
Some houses offer vintage Armagnacs which are made from grapes grown in outstanding year.
They may also specialize in Bas-Armagnac blends which they are always keen to emphasize on
labels.
Well-known Brands:
Baron de Sigognac
Chabot
Chateau Garreau
Chateau de Laubade
Chateau de Malliac
Chateau du Tariquet
Cles des Ducs
Domaine Broustet
Domaine de L’Escoube
Janneau
Dupeyron
Larressingle
Marquis de Caussade
Marquis de Montesquiou
Marquis de Puysegur
De Montal
Samalens
Sempe
Brandies of other countries:
Australia: There is a thriving brandy business in Australia. The main centre of production are in
New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Both pot still and continuous still are used. The
new spirit is oak aged and kept in cask for a minimum of two years to usually a maximum of 25
years.
Well known brands are:
1. Hardy’s Black Bottle
2. Angove’s St. Agnes
3. Seppelt’s Chateau Tanunda
4. Best’s Saint Andrew’s
5. Thumm’s Chateau Yaldara
6. Penfold’s Stock
Brazil: Seagram makes a good Brazilian five star brandy called Macieira. It is cask aged and
mellow.
Cyprus: Brandy production started in the Mediterranean island in 1868. Both pot and
continuous still products are made and the best styles are made in Limousin oak.
Best known brands are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Haggipavlus Anglias
Sodap’s Adonis
Keo’s Five Kings
Peristani V031
Czech Republic: Czech brandy is often a blend of pot still and continuous still products. It is
usually aged in oak casks. A good example is Seliko’s Slovignac.
Germany: German brandy is usually made from wine imported from France and Italy. These
brandies are distilled mostly in pot still method.
Well known brands are:
1. Asbach Uralt
2. Decker’s Dupont and Steinalter
3. Raki’s Dujardin Imperial
Greece: Metaxa is a well known brandy from Greece. It is double distilled in pot still and oak
aged.
Israel: Brandy is made in Israel using pot still and continuous still. The better styles are aged in
Limousin oak casks. Askalon’s Grand 41, Carmel’s Richon 777 and Barkon’s Stock 84 are well
known brands.
Mexico: Mexico makes fine brandies after the Spanish style. The best qualities like Presidente,
the biggest selling brandy worldwide are made by pot still method and matured and blended by
solera system.
Other famous brands are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Almacenes Guajuardo
Martel
Casa madero
Don Pedro
South Africa: Brandy is considered to be the national drink in South Africa. It is made in most
wine regions and the best styles are distilled and matured in Cognac tradition.
Well known brands are:
1. Backsberg
2. Barrydale
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Boplass
Fish eagle
KWV
Mellow wood
Viceroy
Spain: Brandy production in Spain is divided into two categories, “brandy de jerez” and
“brandy de penedes”
Brandy de Jerez:
This is made by most sherry producers. When distilled the brandy is put through the “solera
system”—the traditional way of blending and maturing Sherries. This accelerates the maturing
period and is known as dynamic ageing else where.
Brandy del Penedes:
These brandies are getting good reputation, especially those associated with two foremost
producers, Mascaro and the ubiquitous Torres. Most brandies are made by pot still method
and aged traditionally in Limousin oak. However some are a blend of pot still and patent still
products. Ageing and blending through the solera system is sometimes practiced.
Italy:
Italy makes many fine brandies using the pot still and patent still method of distillation. Most
are cask aged mostly in Slovenian oak.
Popular brands:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Branca ( Fernet Branca fame)
Carpene Malvolti
Om Pilla
Stock 84
Vecchia Romagna
Inga XO
Brandy from United States:
Most brandy produced in United States are made from Californian wines. The spirit has long
been a tradition in California and before prohibition (1919—1933) it was a customary part of a
wine maker’s general output. When the prohibition act was repealed, the distillers had to start
from the scratch but by 1938 there was such a glut of table wine in California that brandy
distillation was actively encouraged. This helped matters as it allowed stocks to build up and
gave the opportunity for the brandy to be matured properly. Californian brandy is not like
European brandy. It is lighter, has it’s own character regarding bouquet and taste, it must be
judged in it’s own merits. The modern brandies are made from selected vines which have the
characteristics most suitable for distilling. Both the pot and column still are used and the new
spirit is matured in American white oak or Limousin oak barrels for between 2 to 12 years.
Sometimes old Bourbon whiskey barrels are used in the maturing process so that they impart a
deeper colour and a richer and fuller flavor to the product.. The most popular grapes for making
the basic wines are Thompson’s seedless and Flame Tokay, but the classic Cognac grapes Ugni
Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard are also used as are the Muscat, Pinot Noir, Gamay,
Palomino, and Chenin Blanc.
Most of the popular mixing brandies are made by continuous still method which produces a
clean very light brandy with a smooth finish. It is used as a base for cordials, cocktails, or with
mixers such as gingerale or orange juice.
The sipping brandies have more flavor and depth of body. These are made entirely by pot still
method or sometimes from a blend of pot still and continuous still products. When they are
made by double distillation pot still method the better quality brandies are generally matured
in limousine oak barrel for a minimum period of five years.
Well known brands are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Bonny Doon
Carneros Alembic
Christian Brothers
Crown Regency
Domain Charbay
E&J ( from the Gallo winery)
Paul Masson
RMS ( Remy Martin owned)
South America:
Pisco is a brandy native to Peru and Chile. It takes it’s name from the Peruvian port of Pisco
from where it was shipped. The Incas called it Pisku meaning flying bird, an apt description. The
best quality Piscos are made from two grape varieties, Moscatel Rosado and Moscatel de
Alejandria. The wine produced has an alcoholic strength of about 13%. This is put into still
modeled in the alembic Charentais, goes through a single distillation with heads and tails being
eliminated and added to the oncoming wine .the centre or heart of the distillation will have an
alcohol strength of about 55 per cent .this raw spirit was traditionally matured in porous clay
jars and consumed quite young .It is more usual nowadays to put the young spirit into small
casks made of oak or beech, where it will mature for 6 to 18 month. It is then diluted with
distilled water and graded according to its final alcohol strength: seleccion 30 per cent, Especial
35 per cent, Reservado 40 per cent .Gran Pisco-which also gets the most ageing in wood -43
per cent .
Pisco is white in colour and dry in flavor .you can drink it neat or with a mixer such as papaya
juice .for some ,the most satisfying way to drink the sprit is as Pisco sour which can be bought
ready made ,but it is best to make it yourself .
Fruit brandy
Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits other than grapes. Apples, peaches, apricots, plums,
cherries, elderberries, raspberries, and blackberries, are the most commonly used fruits. Fruit
brandy usually contains 40% to 45% ABV (80 to 90 US proof). It is often colourless. Fruit brandy
is customarily drunk chilled or over ice, but is occasionally mixed (for example, blackberry
brandy and Coca-Cola are mixed to make a popular New England drink called "the blackbird").
Applejack:
Applejack is a American apple brandy produced from apples, popular in the American colonial
period. It was first made in New England with Connecticut as the commercial center. At that
time the spirit was raw, fiery and very strong – as powerful indeed that when customers came
to their local taverns they would ask for “a slug of blue fish hooks” or for “lockjaw essence”.
When the centre of trade moved to New Jersey, the still strong spirit was known as “Jersey
Lightning”.
Production of applejack
The spirit is distilled cider which has been made from the finest matured varieties of apple such
as Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. The extracted juice of the apple goes through a slow
month long natural fermentation. The new cider is distilled twice in put pot stills and the raw
spirit is matured in charred oak barrels or in barrels or in barrels made up of Limousin oak
where it will remain from 2 to 10 years. During this time the spirit will lose some of it’s alcoholic
strength and becomes gradually more smooth and mellow and softer in flavor. It will also
extract some colour from the wood. It will be carefully appraised before being bottled.
Applejack was historically made by concentrating hard cider, either by the traditional method
of freeze distillation or by true evaporative distillation. The term applejack derives from
jacking, a term for freeze distillation. The modern product sold as applejack is no longer
produced using this traditional process.
In New Jersey, applejack was used as currency to pay road construction crews during the
colonial period. A slang expression for the beverage was Jersey Lightning.[
Well known brands:
1. Bonny Doon ( From Murphy Calofornia)
2. Clear Creak (From Portland Oregon )
3. Laird’s ( From apples grown in Delaware Valley, this famous company was established in
1780)
Calvados:
Calvados (French pronunciation: [kal.va.dos]) is an apple brandy from the French region of
Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandie). It is sometimes abbreviated to Calva.
Production
Calvados is distilled from cider made from specially grown and selected apples, of which there
are over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a Calvados producer to use over 100
specific varieties of apples, which are either sweet (such as the Rouge Duret variety), tart (such
as the Rambault variety), or bitter (such as the Mettais, Saint Martin, Frequin, and Binet
Rouge varieties), the latter being inedible.
The fruit is harvested (either by hand or mechanically) and pressed into a juice that is
fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled into eau de vie. After two years aging in oak
casks, it can be sold as Calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually
the maturation goes on for several years.
Double and single distillation
The appellation of AOC calvados authorizes double distillation for all calvados but it is required
for the AOC calvados Pays d’Auge.
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Double distillation is carried out in a traditional alembic pot still, called either "l'alambic
à repasse" or "charentais".
Single continuous distillation in a column still.
The usual arguments for and against the two processes are that the former process gives the
spirit complexity and renders it suitable for longer aging whilst the latter process gives the
calvados a fresh and clean apple flavour but with less complexity. In fact there is a growing
belief that a well operated column still can produce as complex and "age-able" Calvados as
Double Distillation.
Producing regions and legal definitions:
Like many French wines, Calvados is governed by appellation contrôlée regulations. There are
three appellations for calvados:
The AOC calvados area includes all of the Calvados, Manche, and Orne départements and parts
of Eure, Mayenne, Sarthe, and Eure-et-Loir.
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AOC calvados makes up for over 70 percent of the total production.
Minimum of two years ageing in oak barrels.
The terroir, geographical area, is defined.
The apples and pears are defined cider varieties.
The procedures in production like pressing, fermentation, distillation and ageing is
regulated.
Usually single column distillation.
The more restrictive AOC calvados Pays d'Auge area is limited to the east end of the
département of Calvados and a few adjoining districts.
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Extensive quality control—the basic rules for AOC calvados together with several
additional requirements.
Aging for a minimum of two years in oak barrels.
Double distillation in an alembic pot-still.
Produced within the designated area in Pays d'Auge.
A minimum of six weeks fermentation of the cider.
Flavour elements are controlled.
AOC calvados Domfrontais reflects the long tradition of pear orchards in the area, resulting
in a unique[fruity calvados. The regulation is similar to the AOC calvados and the column still
is used.
o
o
o
A minimum of 30 percent pears from the designated areas is used.
A three-year minimum of ageing in oak barrels.
The orchards must consist of at least 15 percent of pear trees (25 percent from
the sixteenth harvest).
Grades of quality
The age on the bottle refers to the youngest constituent of the blend. A blend is often
composed of old and young calvados. Producers can also use the terms below to refer to the
age.
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"Fine", "Trois étoiles ***", "Trois pommes"—at least two years old.
"Vieux"—"Réserve"—at least three years old.
"V.O." "VO", "Vieille Réserve", "V.S.O.P." "VSOP"—at least four years old.
"Extra", "X.O." "XO", "Napoléon", "Hors d'Age" "Age Inconnu"—at least six years old.
Often sold much older.
High quality calvados usually has parts which are much older than that mentioned. Calvados
can be made from a single (generally, exceptionally good) year. When this happens, the label
often carries that year.
Drinking Calvados:
Calvados is taken in the same way as brandy. A fine aged Calvados is a glorious drink and a
wonderful way to end the meal. When drunk as a digestive it should be shipped and savoured.
It is customary in northern France to drink Calvados in between the food courses or at the very
least between the fish and the main courses. Then it is drunk in one gulp to freshen the palate
and make a hole (or space) for the rest of the meal – hence the expression “trou Normand”—
the “Norman holemaker”.
Well known brands:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Boulard
Chateau de Breul
Dauphin
Pere Franc͵oise
Busnel
Coeur de Lion
Gilbert
Pere Magloire
:
Other Fruit brandies
Excellent fruit brandies are made in many locations, but principally in Alsace of France, The
Black Forest region of Germany, in the former Yugoslavia especially around Bosnia and
Switzerland. Most of the products are colourless and are known collectively by the French term
alcools blanc.
Making the fruit brandy:
The fruits be it plum, peaches pears or whatever is crushed into a pulp. This is fermented
using cultured yeast and then it is double distilled in pot stills, a process which retains the
congenerics or flavor agents of the original fruit. Because these brandies are water white
and meant to be so, they are not aged in wood., which imparts some colour. Instead they
are stored in large glass container or immediately bottled to preserve their fresh flavor and
fragrance.
When stone fruits are used, for example the plums need to make slivovitz, or the cherries
used to make kirsch, it is essential to add about on third of the crushed stones to the juice
so that it imparts a fine bitter almond taste or tang to the final spirit. Some eaux de vie are
made from soft fruits such as strawberries and raspberries and these are usually macerated
in alcohol before distillation, especially so if the sugar content of the fruit is less. Often soft
fruit of delicate flavor will be left to macerate in neutral spirit for weeks. The spirit slowly
extracts the flavors and no distillation is therefore necessary. These end up more like
liqueurs than traditional eaux de vie.
In Germany two words Wasser and Geist reveal the methods of production. Wasser as in
Kirschwasser means the spirit was produced from fermented fruit juice and then distilled.
Geist as in elderbeergeist indicate that the fruit was macerated in alcohol and then distilled.
It takes about 14 kilo fruit to make one kilo eaux de vie.
Example of eaux de vie de fruits
Name
Alisier
Barrack Palinka
Brombeergeist
Cassis
Elderbeergeist
Fraise de Bois
Framboise
Himbeergeist
Houx
Kirschwasser
Mesclou
Mirabelle
Mure Sauvage
Myrtille
Poire Williams
Prunnel
Quetsch
Slivovitz
Fruit
Country
Rowanberry
France
Apricot
Hungary
Blackberry
Germany and Switzerland
Blackcurrant
France
strawberry
Germany and Switzerland
Wild strawberry
France
Raspberry
France
Raspberry
Germany and Switzerland
Holly berry
France
Cherry
Germany and Switzerland
Greengage
France
Yellow plum
France
Wild Blackberry
France
Bilberry
France
William pear
France, Switzerland, Germany
Sloe
France
Blue plum
France
Blue plum
Bosnia and Serbia
Tzuica
Blue plum
Romania
Pomace brandy
Pomace brandy is a liquor distilled from pomace that is left over from winemaking after the
grapes are pressed. Alcohol derived from pomace is also used as the traditional base spirit of
other liquors, such as some anise-flavored spirits.
Production:
Pomace may be either fermented, semi-fermented, or unfermented. During red wine
vinification, the pomace is left to soak in the must for the entire fermentation period and is
thus fermented. Fermented pomace is particularly suitable for the production of pomace
brandy, as it is soft, dry, and has a high alcohol content. Semi-fermented pomace is produced
during rosé wine vinification, where the pomace is removed before fermentation is complete.
Virgin pomace, which is produced during white wine vinification, is not fermented at all.
Both semi-fermented and unfermented pomace must be kept in a silo until fermentation is
complete. After fermentation is complete, the pomace is distilled. Silos are bulk storage tanks.
Grapes:
Many grapes can be used in the production of pomace brandy.
Examples:
French marc:
Georgian chacha
Chacha is traditionally a clear, strong liquor, which is sometimes called "vine vodka", "grape
vodka", or "Georgian vodka". It is made of grape pomace (grape residue left after making
wine). The term chacha is used in Georgia to refer to any type of moonshine made of fruits,
though it most commonly refers to grape distillate. It may be also produced from unripe or wild
grapes. Other common fruits used are figs, tangerines, oranges, or mulberries.
German Tresterbrand:
Greek tsipouro:
is a pomace brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly (Tsipouro Tyr45 percent alcoh
navou), Epirus, Macedonia, Mani Peninsula, and the island of Crete (where Cretans call it
tsikoudia). Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 45% by volume and is
produced from the pomace (the residue of the wine press). In other areas of Greece, the name
raki is used from which the term rakizio or rakario is derived, used to refer to the drink's
distillation process, often the occasion for a celebration among family and friends.
Hungarian törköly:
Törkölypálinka (Pomace pálinka, also Torkolypalinka) is a Hungarian pomace brandy, an
alcoholic beverage produced by distillation from grape residues (pomace) left over from
winemaking. One of the oldest types of pálinka, it helps digestion, and is usually consumed in
small quantities after meals.
Italian grappa:
Grappa is an alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that
contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof).
Bulgarian grozdova:
Aguardiente (Spanish), aiguardent (Catalan), aguardente (Portuguese), and augardente (Galician) are
generic terms for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume. The terms
mean "fiery water" or "burning water" a similar English-based term is the slang "firewater". Both
aguardiente and brandy—from the Dutch expression for "burnt (i.e., distilled) wine"—originated in
different regions as terms for distilled spirits using whatever ingredients were available locally.
Spanish orujo:
Orujo drink northern Spain for pomace brandy (a liquor obtained from the distillation of the
solid remains left after pressing of the grape). It is a transparent spirit with an alcohol content
over 50% (100° proof). Its name comes from the expression "aguardiente de orujo" (pomace
eau-de-vie).
Turkish raki):
The term is used for a wide variety of non-anise-flavored brandies made from distilled pomace
which are popular in the Balkans and Southern Europe.
Raki (Turkish: rakı, is a Turkish unsweetened, anise-flavored hard alcoholic drink that is popular
in Turkey and in the Balkan countries as an aperitif.