Brandy: a touch of distinction

An elegant and sophisticated drink with a high alcohol content (between 36 and 45o) obtained from the distillation of grape wine or also called burning wine (from the Dutch brandewijn) and aged in oak casks. To produce 1 litre of brandy, 3 litres of wine are needed.

Brandy does not yet have a denomination of origin; therefore, any country with wine production can make brandy by adding ingredients such as fruit, caramel, vanilla, oak fibres, etc.

History of Brandy

According to history, the creation of Brandy was not planned, but like many other beverages, it came about by chance.

Between the 18th and 19th centuries, a Dutch merchant bought some wines with high acidity and low alcohol content to sell in his country, but being the good merchant that he was, he decided that he could save on transport costs by concentrating the wine. So he heated and distilled it.

The merchant took the concentrated wine with him and left the liquid extracted from the distillation in wooden casks to be collected on a future trip.

When he arrived in Holland, he bought alcohol to mix with the concentrated wine but the result was a very unpleasant tasting drink, so he couldn't sell it and so he lost his investment and went bankrupt, so he couldn't return to Cognac to collect the barrels he left with the alcohol he extracted in the distillation.

What happened to them, you may ask?

Well, after a few years, the casks were discovered by a sailor who, on opening them and finding the attractive golden liquid, decided to taste it and share it with his colleagues. And so it was that, unwittingly, he discovered a drink which, some time later, would become the exquisite Brandy we enjoy today.

The Production Process

The process of making Brandy is somewhat complex.

1. First, it undergoes a distillation process which raises its alcohol content to at least 75o to act as a base spirit.

2. It is then stored in casks to mature for a certain period of time.

3. When the time has elapsed, the alcohol content must be reduced using either of the two known methods: the Spanish or the French method. In the first one, the reduction is worked in scale, that is to say, starting with the oldest and leaving the newest at the end, or the French method, in which syrup is added together with water. In both cases, it is important that the reduction reaches 44o.

Types of Brandy

The types of Brandy that can be found on the market depend on the ingredients used in its production.

Grape Brandy

This type of Brandy is the result of the distillation of fermented grape juice. The grapes are harvested and then squeezed to ferment the grape juice.

After three weeks, a type of wine is obtained with very little alcohol, with a cloudy and acid aspect that must be distilled and aged to become Brandy.

Within this variety we find: the French cognac and Armagnac, the Spanish Brandy de Jerez and the grape Brandy produced in the United States.

 
Fruit Brandy

As its name indicates, this type of Brandy is the result of the distillation of fruits such as apple, plum, peach, raspberry and apricot.

Within this variety we find Calvados, which is a type of Brandy that comes from Normandy, France and is obtained from the distillation of apple cider and is aged in barrels. Kirsch, which is made from the distillation of cherries from the German Black Forest. It is usually enjoyed as a digestif, but is also highly prized as an essential ingredient in pastry, confectionery, cocktails and cooking.

 
Pulp Brandy

This is the least common type of Brandy. It is made from the pulp of the grape, the seeds and the fermented stems that remain after the juice has been extracted.

Brandy in Spain

In Spain, Brandy is produced in practically all areas or regions of the national territory.

Among the main Protected Geographical Indications in Spain we have:

Brandy de Jerez

Brandy de Jerez is produced exclusively in Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Brandy de Jerez is classified as follows:

• Solera: Aged for more than six months.
• Reserva: Aged for more than one year.
• Gran Reserva: Aged for more than three years.

Brandy from Penedés

It is mainly produced in the Penedés area (Catalonia). It is made from wines with high acidity and low alcohol content. It has a discontinuous double distillation process in charentais stills.

Brandy de Penedés is classified as follows:

• AC: Matured for a minimum of two years, in a cask.
• VS: Aged in barrel for a minimum of three years.
• VSOP: Aged in cask for a minimum of five years.
• XO: Aged in barrel for a minimum of six years.
• Vintage: Aged in casks and marked with the vintage date of bottling.
• Hors D'age: The oldest of the entire selection.

Cocktails made with Brandy

• Brandy Champagne

• The Stranger

• Sidecar

• Tic toc

• Brandy Coffee

• Brandy Vermouth

Brandy Brands

• Gran Duque de Alba Oro Boxed Bottle
• Luis Felipe Gran Reserva Boxed Bottle
• Cardenal Mendoza de Lujo Boxed Bottle
• El Tajo 1895 Solera Gran Reserva
• Brandy 1866 Gran Reserva Boxed Bottle
• Gran Duque de Alba XO
• Cardenal Mendoza
• Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva Boxed Bottle
• Terry Centenario
• Soberano
• Brandy 501