Brandy
Brandy is a spirit mostly made by distilling wine. The name comes from a Dutch word, brandewijn, which means “burned wine.” Two of the best-known and indeed best types of brandy, whose production is governed by strict rules, are Cognac and Armagnac, both from France. So, all Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is Cognac. Many wine-growing regions of the world also produce brandy, and the flavors vary according to both the types of grape used for the wine and the differing production processes. Most U.S. brandy comes from California. Brandy is also used as an ingredient in spirits such as Metaxa, a Greek spirit. A distinct type of brandy is fruit brandy, which is made from fruit juice, wine, or pulp from fruit other than grapes. Grappa, common in Italy, and the South American spirit called pisco are also types of brandy.
Top Brandy Posts:
How Is Brandy Made?
Hine Rare, Homage, Antique, and H by Hine
Paul Masson Grande Amber VS Brandy
Germain-Robin is unquestionably the most exciting and impactful brandy producer in the U.S., and its 7 year old Alambic Brandy is arguably the archetype against which all other American brandies are measured. Stepping up the price and quality tier you’ll find Germain-Robin XO, which is distilled exclusively in Pruhlo Charentais pot stills and aged in…
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Back in 2023, David was one of the first journalists to visit Bhakta-Griswold, the brand campus-cum-booze camp owned by the notorious spirit innovator Raj Bhakta. The stories he recounted of this former Vermont college that now houses and showcases one of the largest vintage spirits collections in the country were, in a word, unusual. It…
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Cognac producer Hine recently released a new expression that is a twist on its previous XO releases: Hine XO 1er Cru — aka Hine XO Premier Cru. The concept is simple: The brandy is a blend of 100% Grand Champagne eaux-de-vie aged for a minimum of 10 years. (Other Hine XO releases have had different…
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If you’re a fan of pre-Prohibition cocktails, you’ll see a vast number of recipes that contain either brandy or Cognac. Before whiskey became the common base spirit, people often made their Old Fashioneds with brandy. This drink included a spirit of any kind, a sweetener, and bitters. And with the famous French 75, there is…
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Even if you aren’t familiar with Aguardente Vinica by name, you have probably tried it before: It is the Portuguese brandy used to fortify Port wines. Not many Aguardente Vinicas make their way to the U.S., which is a shame since they can be delicious and warrant attention. They range from unaged expressions to XO,…
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Ho ho ho! Forget milk and cookies, what Santa needs this year is a shot of good, hard alcohol to help get him through whatever 2025 has in store for us. Shopping is tough, so if you’re considering a special bottle for a special someone in your life, look no further. We have you covered…
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We’ve barely scratched the surface on Oregon-based Clear Creek Distillery’s many brandies and liqueurs, but today we’re taking a look at a pear of them. Ha, see what I did there? Clear Creek’s unaged Pear Brandy was actually the first spirit we tasted from the distillery way back in 2009, but we figured it was…
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Hennessy’s Master Blender’s Selection releases have been arriving at haphazard intervals since their 2016 launch. We reviewed Nos. 2 and 3, but missed out on No. 4. Now Master Blender’s Selection No. 5 is here — the first release in three years — so we’ll have to make up for lost time. This time out,…
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There are a couple of theories regarding how bourbon came to be aged in charred oak barrels. Perhaps the most plausible theory lies in the fact that the French mature brandy in toasted wood barrels. In the era of bourbon infancy, Cognac was a known luxury French spirit. Did Americans begin using charred or toasted…
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Calistoga Depot Distillery is a new spirits brand from the Boisset Collection, which has of late been making a major push into harder alcohol, most notably tequila. The Calistoga Star is a more expected offering from the notable winemaker — a brandy made from California wine grapes, named in honor of San Francisco’s first newspaper,…
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