Brandy is distilled from fermented fruit, sometimes
aged in oak casks, and usually bottled at 80 proof. Enjoyed as an
after dinner drink, brandy is also widely used in mixed drinks and
cooking. It is produced in a number of countries. The term brandy,
used alone, means a spirit that has been distilled from grape wine.
Brandies fine enough to be consumed undiluted out of a snifter do
not need to be heated over a candle as the warmth of a hand is suffice
to enhance the bouquet.
Cognac is a fine brandy known for its smoothness
and heady scent. It is produced only in the Cognac region of France;
hence, all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. The age
of Cognac is guaranteed six years old by authorities. Armagnac is
much like cognac but has a richer taste. This brandy is produced only
in the Armagnac region of France. American brandy, virtually all of
which is distilled in California, has its own taste characteristics.
Unlike European brandies, California brandies are usually produced
by individual firms that grow the grapes, distill, age, blend, bottle,
and market the brandies under there own brand names. They are typically
light and smooth.
Hennessy was one of the first to introduce a system
that would help consumers differentiate among various cognacs. Sometimes
known as Three Star, VS (Very Special) cognac is a blend from brandies
that have aged a minimum of two years, but many have aged considerably
longer. In Hennessy's VS, there are brandies that are up to ten years
old. VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) refers to blends that are not less
than four years old. The descriptor XO (Extra Old) denotes a blend
of considerable age. The Hennessy family was the first to use this
designation. Other descriptions such as Napoleon, Extra, Vielle Reserve,
and Vieux also denote aging of considerable time.
Apple Brandy, Applejack, and Calvados are apple brandies
distilled from apple cider. Calvados is produced only in Normandy,
France. Germany also has a long tradition of making fine brandy, even
though the country is at the northernmost limit of wine production.
One pioneer of fine brandy was Hugo Asbach, who described his brandy
as "Weinbrand", the German word for grape brandy, which
subsequently became the generic term for high-quality wine spirits.
In an attempt to emulate the qualities of cognac, some German brandies
are blended solely from grape spirits produced in pot-stills. However,
the best German brandy is blended from spirits derived from both pot
and continuous stills, giving it its own style, with an emphasis on
flavor and smoothness. Asbach Uralt Brandy is a blend of both types
of wine spirit, aged for over two years in small oak casks. The result
epitomizes German brandy at its best and is richer and rounder than
many cognac brandies.
Fruit brandies (eaux de vie) are clear, 80 to 90
proof spirits distilled from fruits. Fruit brandies made from cherries
are called Kirsch or Kirschwasser; from pears, Poire, and from raspberries,
Framboise. Fruit-flavored brandies are brandy based liqueurs flavored
with fruits such as blackberries, peaches, apricots, cherries, and
others.
