Brandy

Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—'burnt wine') is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink. Brandy made from wine is generally colored with caramel coloring to imitate the effect of long aging in wooden casks; pomace and fruit brandies are generally drunk unaged, and are not usually colored.

“ Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy. ”
— Samuel Johnson

History

The origins of brandy are unclear, and tied to the development of distillation. Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and Rome and may have a history going back to ancient Babylon. Brandy as it is known today first began to appear in the 12th century and became generally popular in the 14th century.

Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved over the original distilled spirit. Also, the distillation process doesn't just remove water, but leads to the formation and break-up of dozens of aroma compounds fundamentally altering the composition of the distillate. This is why unaged wine spirits (unaged brandy) diluted back to wine alcohol strength tastes nothing like the original wine. Brandy is widely popular worldwide, especially in southern Europe and Latin America. In the Philippines, Brandy is so popular, it is easily one of the most advertised products locally.

Types of brandy

There are three primary types of brandy. Grape brandy is the type that is meant if the term brandy is used by itself.

Grape brandy
Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grape juice. There are four main subtypes of grape brandies.

Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France, and is double distilled using pot stills. Popular brands include Hine, Martell, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Ragnaud-Sabourin, Delamain and Courvoisier.
Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous distilled in a copper still and aged in oak casks from Gascony or Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs have a specificity: they offer vintages qualities. Popular brands are Darroze, Baron de Sigognac, Larressingle, Delord, Laubade, Gélas and Janneau.
Grape brandies are also produced in several other countries, including Portugal where it is called aguardente (burning water), Spain (where Brandy de Jerez, produced from Sherry is the only protected Denomination of Origin), Mexico, Germany, and South Africa. South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in Cognac, using a double-distillation process in copper pot stills followed by ageing in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Because of this, South African brandies are of a very high quality and often suffer an unfair disadvantage as a result of being called "brandy".
Lourinhã, located in western Portugal's Estremadura region, is one of the few brandy-making areas to receive appellation status along with Cognac and Armagnac.
American grape brandy is almost always from California.
The European Union legally enforces Cognac as the exclusive name for brandy produced and distilled in the Cognac area of France, and Armagnac from the Gascony area of France, using traditional techniques.

Grape brandies are best drunk from a tulip-shaped glass or a snifter, at cool room temperature. Often it is slightly warmed, by holding the glass in the cup of the palm or gently heating with a candle; however, such heating causes alcohol vapor to become very pungent so that the aromas are overpowered. Brandy, like whisky and red wine, exhibits more pleasant aromas and flavors at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 degrees Celsius (61° F). In most homes, this would imply that the brandy should in fact rather be cooled for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol (which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin as it is heated, (but more viscous when cooled) leading to a fuller and smoother mouthfeel with less of a burning sensation.

Pomace brandy
Pomace brandy is produced from fermented grape pulp, seeds, and stems that remain after the grapes are pressed for their juice. Examples include the Italian grappa and the French marc.

Fruit brandy
Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits other than grapes. Apple, plum, peach, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and apricot are the most commonly used fruit. Fruit brandy is usually clear, 80 to 90 proof, and usually drunk chilled or over ice.

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower Normandy. Apple is pressed into cider, fermented with yeast and double distilled.

Cherry Brandy is a fruit brandy made from cherries. The most famous brand is the HEERING Cherry Liqueur (also known as Peter Heering or Cherry Heering) of Denmark founded in 1818. Cherries are pressed into a must, matured in oak casks and then blended into a liqueur. HEERING Cherry Liqueur is the orginal "cherry brandy" ingredient in the Singapore Sling drink from Raffles Hotel, Singapore.

Eau-de-vie is a general French term for fruit brandy.

Kirschwasser is a fruit brandy made from cherries.

Pálinka is a fruit brandy traditional to Hungary. It can be made from any kind of fruit - most often plum (szilva), apricot (barack), grape (törköly), elderberry (bodza), pear (vilmoskörte) and cherry (cseresznye). Less common pálinka-types include apple, peach and even walnut (dió). Mixed pálinka (vegyes) is also popular.

Slivovitz is a fruit brandy made from plums, traditional to Serbia and Croatia.

Slivovice is a strong 70% vol. (and more) fruit brandy made from plums, in Slovakia, the East mountains of the Czech republic (region Valachia - exactly Vizovice) and Southern mountain region of Poland.

Certain varieties of Schnapps or Snaps, light-bodied spirits that are drunk along with a meal in Germanic or Scandinavian countries.

Tuica (tzuika) is the clear Romanian brandy, made mainly from plums, apples, pears, apricots, mulberries, peaches, quinces or mixes of them. Other regional names as turţ, tura, horinca apply. As wine producers, Romania and Moldova have also a production of cognac-style brandy, named vinars or divin.

Variations

Pot vs. tower stills
Cognac and South African pot still brandy are examples of brandy produced in batches using pot stills (batch distillation). Many American brandies use fractional distillation in tower stills to perform their distillation. Special pot stills with a fractionation section on top are used for Armagnac.

Aging
A brandy can be aged in one of three main ways.

No aging: Many pomace and fruit brandies are not aged after distillation. The resulting product is typically a clear liquid.
Single barrel aging: Brandies that have a golden or brown color have been aged in oak casks.
Solera process: Some brandies are aged using the solera system. Brandies from Spain are typical of this variation.

Brandy Labels

Brandy has a rating system to describe its quality and condition, these indicators can usually be found near the brand name on the label.
A.C. : aged 2 years in wood.
V.S. : "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least 3 years in wood.
V.S.O.P. : "Very Special Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at least 5 years in wood.
X.O. : "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged at least 6 years, Napoleon at least 4 years.
Vintage : Stored in the cask until the time it is bottled with the label showing the vintage date.
Hors D'age: : These are too old to determine the age, although 10 years plus is typical, and are usually of great quality.

Distillation

A batch distillation typically works as follows: Wine with an alcohol concentration of 8-12%v/v and high acidity is boiled in a pot still. Vapours of ethanol, water and the numerous aroma components rise upwards and are collected in a condenser coil where it becomes a liquid again. The alcohol concentration of the condensed product (the distillate) is far higher than in the original wine (roughly 82% by volume). As the alcohol is continuously being removed from the wine, its alcohol concentration drops, resulting in a drop in the instantaneous alcohol concentration of the distillate. When all alcohol has been removed in the wine, the boiling point will be roughly that of water (100 degrees Celsius), and the distillate will contain no more alcohol. The accumulated distillate, however, will contain roughly 30% alcohol (ethanol) by volume. This distillate is usually distilled a second time and in both cases an amount of distillate is kept separate at the start as well as the end of the distillation process. These fractions are called the "heads" and "tails". The fraction that is kept is called the "heart". The hot conditions in the pot still as well as the fact that it usually consists of copper, cause chemical reactions to take place during the distillation. This leads to the formation of numerous new volatile aroma components, changes in relative amounts of aroma components in the wine, as well as the hydrolysis of components such as esters.

Historical production

As described in the 1728 edition of Cyclopaedia, the following method was used to distill brandy. A cucurbit was filled half full of the liquor from which brandy was to be drawn; and then raised, with a little fire, till about one sixth part was distilled, or till that which falls into the receiver was entirely flammable. This liquor, distilled only once, was called spirit of wine or brandy. Purified by another, or several more distillations, this was then called spirit of wine rectified. The second distillation was made in balneo mariae, and in a glass cucurbit; and the liquor was distilled to about one half the quantity. This was further rectified, as long as the operator thought necessary, to produce brandy.

To abridge these several distillations, which were long and troublesome, a chemical instrument was invented, whereby the rectification of spirit of wine was performed in one single distillation. To test the goodness of the rectified spirit of wine, a portion was lit on fire. If the entire contents were consumed, without leaving any impurity behind, then the liquor was good. Another, better test involved putting a little gunpowder in the bottom of the spirit; if the gunpowder took fire when the spirit was consumed, then the liquor was good

Liquor Name

Alto del Carmen Pisco

Aqua Perfecta (Cherry) 375ml

Aqua Perfecta (Raspberry) 375 ml

Aqua Perfecta (Williams Pear) 375ml

Arack Carmel (Kosher) Liter

Arack Askalon (Kosher)

Arak - Fakra  100pf

Arak - Razzouk

Arak - Touma

Arak - El Rif  106pf

Arak - El Rif  140pf

Arak Gantous & Abou Raad

Ararat

Arax Armenia

Asbach Uralt

Azteca de Oro

Blume Marillen - Apricot Eau de vie 375ml

Brunel

Calvados - CdL - 1953

Calvados - CdL - 1961

Calvados - CdL - 25yr

Calvados - CdL - Fine

Calvados - CdL - Hors d'Age

Calvados - CdL - Selection

Calvados - CdL - VSOP

Calvados - Groult - Age D'Or

Calvados - Groult - Doyen D Age

Capel Pisco Capel

Cardinal Mendoza

Carlos I

Cesar Pisco Especial

Champion XO

Christian Brothers VS

Christian Brothers VSOP

Dettling - Kirsch (Cherry) 375ml

Don Cesar Pisco Italia

Don Cesar Pisco Puro

Don Pedro

Don Pedro Conmemorativa

E&J VSOP

E&J XO

El Massaya

El Rami

Etter - Framboise (Raspberry)

Etter - Kirsch (Cherry)

Etter - Poire Williams

Fassbind Kirsch

Felipe II

Fundador

Gran Duque DAlba

Grappa Marolo  (Barolo) 375ml

Grappa Marolo  (Brunello) 375ml

Grappa Marolo  (Moscato) 375ml

Julia Grappa

Korbel

La Prisonniere - Pear in Btl

Laird's 12yr Rare Apple Brandy

Lorenzo Inga Grappa  (Chardonnay) 375ml

Lorenzo Inga Grappa  (Dolcetto) 375ml

Lorenzo Inga Grappa  (Gavi Di Gavi) 375ml

Lorenzo Inga Grappa  (Nebbiolo Da Barolo) 375ml

Lorenzo Inga Grappa  (Pinot Noir) 375ml

Los Reyes

Luxardo Grappa

Maraska Kirsch

Maraska Komovica

Metaxa - 5 Star

Metaxa - 7 Star

Metaxa - Grande Fine

Metaxa - Ouzo

Ouzo 12

Paul Masso VS

Paul Masson VSOP

Presidente

Raki - Club

Raki - Yeni

Raynal Brandy

Slivovitz - Badel (Liter)

Slivovitz - Manastirka

Slivovitz - Maraska

Slivovitz - Navip  (Kosher)

Slivovitz - Pecsetes  (Kosher)

Slivovitz - Zwack

St. Remy

Surprise XO

Trimbach - Framboise (Raspberry)

Trimbach - Kirsch (Cherry)

Trimbach - Mirabelle (Plum) 375ml

Trimbach - Poire (Pear) 375ml

White Stork