If you think that cognac and brandy are synonymous names for the same drink, then you are mistaken. There is a significant difference between them, which every connoisseur of good alcohol needs to know about. Next, we will look at how exactly cognac differs from brandy. First, let’s define each of the concepts under consideration.
Brandy – this is a group of strong (40-60% vol) alcoholic beverages obtained by distillation of fermented fruit juice (grape, apple, cherry, etc.). We can say that brandy is more of a production technology than the name of a particular alcohol.
Cognac – This is an alcoholic drink with a strength of 40 degrees, produced from the juice of some grape varieties by double distillation (distillation) and aging in oak barrels for at least 30 months. In addition, only winemakers from the region of the same name in France have the right to call their products “Cognac” (cognac).
As you can see, cognac is one of the most common types of brandy, its differences from other brandies are as follows:
- only juice of white grapes is used for production;
- double distillation (distillation);
- long exposure in oak barrels;
- natural ingredients (in some other types of brandy it is allowed to use dyes and caramel);
- fortress about 40 degrees;
- unique geographical region of production (French province of Cognac);
- copyrighted title.
To make it easier to understand, I will give the names of several more types of brandy, depending on the raw material:
- calvados (apple juice);
- kirschwasser (cherry juice);
- raspberry (raspberry);
- grappa and chacha (grape juice).