Fruit Base Spirit: BRANDY

 Fruit Base Spirit: BRANDY

1.1 Introduction 

Brandy is derived from the Dutch word "Brandewijn," which means "burnt wine."  It is a fruit-based distilled alcoholic beverage, which is obtained from fermented fruit mash. Commonly, grapes are used to make brandy after fermenting wine. Brandy can be made from other fruits as well, and if brandy is made from other fruits, it is called fruit brandy. If only one type of fruit is used, then the word brandy is linked with the name of that fruit, as apple brandy, peach brandy, etc.  Apple Jack from America, Calvados from France, and Marpha from Nepal are known as apple brandy.  

Brandy generally contains 35%–60 % alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden oaks, while some are simply coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring). Brandy is an aromatic spirit as it gains from its base fruit wine, and comparatively, a good brandy, like cognac, is aged more than other spirits. 

1.2 History of Brandy

Brandy’s roots lie in the advancement of distillation, first appearing in the 12th century and becoming popular by the 14th century. It is believed that wine was distilled in 1411 into a spirit in the Armagnac region of France for Dutch traders.  Wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax by merchants, which was assessed by volume. Its major intent was to remove added water by distillation back the wine. Eventually, they discovered the brandy after having been stored in wooden casks. They not only reintroduced moisture but also mellowed and enriched their flavored brandy. Distillation itself concentrates volatile aroma compounds while leaving behind pigments, sugars, and salts, so the spirit takes on a character quite distinct from the original wine.

Brandy is also known as burnt wine. There is an interesting story behind how burnt wine became brandy. Long ago, in a forgotten corner of medieval Europe, there lived a guilt-stricken knight. In a fury and betrayal, he had slain his wife and her lover. While justice had been lenient toward him, his conscience had not. He was troubled by visions—twice he saw himself burning in hell, with flames and regret all around. 

Desperate for forgiveness, the knight went to an old monk who explained purification through fire. Literally taking this, the knight used his finest wine and distilled it once, but twice—burning it in flames both times. He hoped this would be indicative of his internal suffering, a symbolic penance for his sin. He stored the distilled spirit in an oak barrel, buried it deep within his cellar, and vowed never to lay a hand on it again.

 Years passed. Time dulled his grief, and the world changed around him. One night, the dark knight came across the old cask as he wandered the cellar. Piqued by curiosity, he uncorked it—and he was amazed at what he found. The raw liquor had transformed. It was golden in color now, milder in its fiery sting, and had a rich, smooth aroma. Shaking fingers tasted it. It was wonderful.

Brandies begin life as grape wine, and the world’s leading producing regions naturally align with areas suited to viticulture. By the late 1800s, French and Spanish brandies dominated Western Europe and its colonies, while Eastern Europe’s Black Sea zone—particularly Bulgaria, Crimea, and Georgia—held sway in markets to the east. In 1880, David Saradjishvili established Georgia’s first “Cognac Factory” in Tbilisi, leveraging the city’s position on historic Turkish, Central Asian, and Persian trade routes. Georgian and Armenian brandies, then marketed as cognacs, frequently outperformed French rivals at international exhibitions in Paris and Brussels in the early 20th century. The Romanov court in St. Petersburg amassed what was likely the world’s largest collection of these spirits, much of it sourced from the Transcaucasus.

1.3 Types of Brandy

Brandy is well well-known aromatic flavourful spirit. Generally distilled alcoholic beverage made from grapes is known as Brandy. Brandy can be classified on various bases, like the base fruit used to prepare it and the region where brandy is made. 

1.3.1 Fruit Brandy: Brandies that are made from any fermented mash of fruits are called Fruit Brandy. From any fruits whose sugar concentration is high os suitable for making fruit brandy. If only one variety of fruit is used to make a fruit brand, then the word brand comes along with that specific fruit name, like Apple Brandy, Banana Brandy, Peach Brand, etc.  Fruit brandy usually contains 40% to 45% alcohol by volume. It is usually colourless and is customarily drunk chilled or over ice. [i.e., Applejack, Buchu, Damascene, Eau-de-vie]. 

• Applejack  - American apple brandy, made from the distillation of hard cider. It was once made by fractional freezing, which would disqualify it as a proper brandy.
• Buchu -  South African brandy flavoured with extracts from Agathosma species. 
• Calvados - An apple brandy from the French region of Lower Normandy. It is double-distilled from fermented apples.
• Schnaps -German fruit brandy produced in Germany or Austria.
• Kirschwasser - A fruit brandy made from cherries.
• Poire Williams (Williamine) - Brandy made from Bartlett pears (also known as Williams pears).

 1.3.2 Grape Brandy: A potable spirit that is obtained from the distillation of wine or fermented grapes, then aged in a wooden barrel, is known as grape brandy. [i.e., Christian Brothers, Armenian brandy, Armagnac, Cognac]. The other difference between these fruit brandies and grape-based brandies is wood ageing - fruit brandies are rarely aged in wood. 

Cognac and Armagnac are two brandies which have been recognised by the French government with the granting of appellation contrôlée status for each area- the highest accolade and guarantee of quality. 

1.3.2.1. COGNAC

Cognac is a region of western France. The brandy Cognac is named after this region. Cognac was first made in 1574.  There is a phrase that describes the relationship between Cognac and other brandies. "All the Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is Cognac."  Generally, Cognacs are considered as very best of grape-based brandy. Cognac brandies are prepared under strict regulations and practices that ensure their quality.  

Cognac is a special class of brandy that is produced in a specified manner from the delimited region of Cognac in France. To be labelled Cognac, the grapes must be grown, fermented, and distilled in this district, where there are seven famous regions below:

The Cognac Area, as defined by law in 1909, is: 

• Grande Champagne
• Petite Champagne
• Borderies
• Fins Bois
• Bon Bois
• Bois Ordinaires

Cognac is distilled from wine made from three major grape varieties: Ugni Blanc (also known as St. Emilion), Folie Blanche, and Colombard. The allows the use of 5 other varieties: Juracon Blanc, Montils, Semillon, Select, and Blanc Rame (also known as Meslier St. Francios). However, the minor varieties can only be used up to a maximum of ten percent in any harvest. 

Distillation is carried out in the Charentais method by double distillation using the  Alambic Charentais, a version of the Pot Still. The maximum strength of the final distillate must not exceed 72% alcohol by volume. Cognacs are matured in oak barrels, especially two specially designed types of oak: Tronchais and Limousin. Cognac requires time to mature and mellow from the rough, fiery initial spirit to acquire the smoothness and flavour that is so sought after. 

The grades of ageing are:

• *                              one-star                                matured 3 years
• **                            two-star                                matured 5 -6 years
• ***                          three-star                              matured 6 – 8 years
• V.O.                         very old                                matured 12 – 15 years
• V.S.O.                      very superior old                   matured 15 – 20 years
• V.S.O.P.                   very superior old pale            matured 25 -30 years
• V.V.S.O.P.                very very superior old pale    matured 30 -40 years
• X.O.                         extra ordinary old                    matured 35 -50 years 

Cognac must be aged in the specially designed warehouse; by law, no other spirits may be aged in the same warehouse. Very old Cognacs are aged up to sixty years and transferred to large glass jars known as demijohns helps prevent further evaporation of these precious stocks of old brandies. 

1.3.2.2. ARMAGNAC

Armagnac is the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnac has been distilled in Gascony in the department of Gers in south-west France since 1422. Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in the Southwest of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous distilled in a copper still and aged in oaken casks from Gascony or Limousin. Armagnac is aged in oak barrels using black sappy wood from the nearby Monlezun forest, and it has a capacity of 400 litres. Whereas Cognac is praised for its finely smooth, fine, soft, and dry taste and refined perfume noses, Armagnac is prized for its earthy aroma with a strong sensation towards the end of the taste, which the French term as the dancing fire.

UniBlanc is the main grape variety used along with Folie Blanche and Colombard. However, producers are also legally allowed to use Picquepoul, Baco, Jurancon Blanc, Clairette, Mauzac, and Blanc Rame. 

Similar to Cognac, Armagnac production is governed by a strict set of regulations, which are closely monitored by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). Armagnac has specificity: it offers vintage qualities.

Popular brands are Darroze, Baron de Sigognac, Larressingle XO, Delord, Laubade, Gélas, Janneau, Armagnac De Montai VSOP.

The label and grades is similar to the cognac bottle. Labeling terms of Armagnac

3Stars 3Crowns, XXX, MonoPole or Selection de Luxe: minimum ageing of 1 year if sold in france but aged at least 3 years if bottled for sale outside France.

Very Old (VO),  Very Superior OLD Pale(VSOP) or Reserve: minimum ageing of 4 year

Extra Old (XO), Extra Napoleon, Vielle Reserve, or Hors d'Age: minimum ageing of 5 years

1.3.3 Pomace brandy: Pomace brandy is also called “marc” in both English and French. It is produced by fermentation and distillation of the grape skins, seeds, and stems that remain after grapes have been pressed to extract their juice (which is then used to make wine). Most pomace brandies are neither aged nor coloured. [i.e. grozdova, zivania, chacha, orujo]

Examples of pomace brandy are:

• Albanian Raki e Rushi
• Bulgarian/Macedonian grozdova
• Cretan tsikoudia
• Cypriot zivania
• French marc
• Georgian chacha
• Greek tsipouro
• Hungarian törkölypálinka

1.4. Production of Brandy

Wines are stored for 5 years before distillation Brandy is produced by a process of double distillation. Wine with an alcohol concentration of 8% to 12% alcohol by volume and high acidity is boiled in a pot still.  Vapours of alcohol, water, and numerous aromatic components rise and are collected in a condenser coil, where they become a liquid again. Because alcohol and the aromatic components vaporise at a lower temperature than water, the concentration of alcohol in the condensed liquid (the distillate) is higher than in the original wine.

After one distillation, the 1st produced is called "low wine," and will contain roughly 30% alcohol by volume. The low wine is then distilled a second time. The first 1% or so of distillate that is produced, called the "head," has an alcohol concentration of about 83% and an unpleasant odour, so it is discarded (generally, mixed with another batch of low wine, thereby entering the distillation cycle again). The distillation process continues, yielding a distillate of approximately 70% alcohol (called the "heart"), which is what will be consumed as brandy. The portion of low wine that remains after distillation, called the "tail," will be mixed into another batch of low wine (so that the tail enters the distillation cycle again, as does the head). 

Distillation does not simply enhance the alcohol content of wine. The heat under which the product is distilled and the material of the still (usually copper) cause chemical reactions to take place during distillation. This leads to the formation of numerous new volatile aroma components, changes in relative amounts of aroma components in the wine, and the hydrolysis of components such as esters. 

1.5 Serving Brandy                                         

Brandy is traditionally drunk neat at room temperature in western countries from a snifter or a tulip glass. In parts of Asia, it is usually drunk on the rocks. When drunk at room temperature, it is often slightly warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gently heating it. However, excessive heating of brandy may cause the alcohol vapour to become too strong, to the extent that its aroma can become overpowering.

Brandy has a more pleasant aroma at a lower temperature, e.g. 16 °C (61 °F). In most homes, this would imply that brandy should be cooled rather than heated for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol (which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin when it is heated (and more viscous (thick and sticky) when cooled). Thus, cool brandy produces a fuller and smoother mouth feel and less of a "burning" sensation. Brandy may be served neat or on the rocks. It is added to other beverages to make several popular cocktails; these include the Brandy Alexander, the Sidecar, the Brandy Sour, and the Brandy Old Fashioned.

The standard measure for brandy is 30ml. and consumed after dinner

Glass: Brandy balloon/ snifter/ inhaler

Accompaniment: ice-cube, cola, dry ginger ale, warm water or soda