The name brandy comes from the Dutch word BRANDEWIJN which means Burnt Wine

The first distillation of wine started around the 16th century in Western France in a port city called La Rochelle.

During the 16th century the only mode of export of wines were through Sea route where there were continuous problems like wars and pirates. Wines that needed to be exported needed huge wine casks and therefore big ships for transfers. These big ships were easy targets for the pirates. So a Dutch master who was clever knew that wine contained alcohol and water, so he distilled the wine to get the alcohol. The alcohol was then put into smaller casks which he could export in small ships without any problem. But as he started doing this, he by chance tasted the alcohol and to his surprise he liked it. He made other people drink it and got the same result. That is how he gave the name Brandewijn (burnt wine). It then became Brandy when the English found an easier way of pronouncing it.

Cognac is a brandy made from the grapes of the vine-yards surrounding the ancient town of Cognac.

Cognac is a district in the South Western region of France.

The Cognac is manufactured in the 6 regions- Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois Ordinaire.

The 3 main grape varieties used to manufacture Cognac are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. The wine made for distillation are termed undrinkable due to the high acidity, dryness and thin texture however, they are excellent for distillation into brandies.

Cognac is manufactured by distillation of the wine made from the above grapes in a copper pot still but is double distilled.

The resultant spirit is at 70% volume alcohol and is aged in Limousin Casks for a minimum of 2 year to 5 years, thus mellowing down the spirit to 40% V/V due to evaporation that takes place at 3% a year in them.

Cognac Labels

A.O.C Labels

Appellation d’origine controlee is the highest category given by the French Govt. for spirits and wines in France

Star system

The number of stars on the bottle label suggested the number of years the cognac has been matured. Lately this system is not used.

Letter system

CEFVOSPX C--Cognac E--Especial F--Fine V--Very , O--Old, S--Superior , P--Pale ,X--Extra V.O Very Old (12-15 years)

V.S.O Very Superior/ Special Old (15 – 20 years) V.S.O.P Very Superior/ Special Old Pale (25 -30 years) V.V.S.O.P Very Superior/ Special Old Pale ( 30 – 40 years) Napoleon / X.O / Grande Reserve /Grande Vicille – 50 years and above

AS George Mallet had said “Cognac is like a woman, best had between 25 to 40 years.”

75% of the Cognac is marketed by four major Shippers-

Hennessy

Martell

Remy Martin

Courvoisier

Some other shippers of Cognac are Otard, Camus, Hine and many more

Cognac are considered to be a perfect match for fine cigars however single malt scotch whiskies are also paired with Cigars off late.

Cognac is also a base for some of the famous liqueurs like Grand Marnier

Cognac is the base spirit for the classic cocktail, Sidecar

This does say that the spirit is not just a sipping drink but a truly versatile creation

Gulp Responsibly! Socialize Liberally!!