- Brandy is any distilled spirit made from fermented fruit juice.
- Cognac is a specific type of barrel-aged brandy made in the Cognac region of France.
- Brandy is often sipped neat as an after-dinner drink, but is also used in many classic cocktails.
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In the world of spirits and cocktails, brandy and cognac are sometimes lost in the mix. Despite being one of the oldest and most diverse spirits in the world, there's still a bit of confusion as to what brandy actually is and how to drink it.
"It's a very broad term, and there are many expressions of brandy," says veteran bartender and cocktail instructor Anders Erickson. Brandy has been distilled for centuries starting in Europe and has since spread all over the world, creating new distilling traditions and distinct stylistic variations.
With Erickson's help, we'll take you on a quick tour through the world of brandy and cognac and why these fruit-forward, aged spirits need to be marked on your map.
What is brandy?
To put it simply, brandy is a distilled spirit made from fermented fruit juice. Brandy is mostly made from grapes, but there are brandies made from apples, pears, plums, and other types of fruit, all of which have their own distinct character and flavor.
"It's like taking wine to the next level by distilling it," Erickson says. The distillation process concentrates the wine, increasing the alcohol content and removing some or most of the water present in the fermented fruit.
"The historic home of the best brandy is France," Erickson says. "The regions of Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados in the North of France are the meccas of brandy."
Because it was first distilled from grapes, there are traditions of brandy distillation all over Europe's wine-producing regions, like Spain and Italy, and throughout the rest of the world as well. Regions rich with apple and pear orchards, like Northern France, are also natural homes for brandy distillation.
Brandy isn't always aged, but the most popular and recognizable styles are aged for years in wooden barrels. Aging adds an amber or brown color and added flavor notes of caramel and vanilla.
"For a brown, aged spirit, brandies tend to drink a bit sweeter and softer than whiskies in most cases," Erickson says. "You do get a hint of fruitiness and tartness from the fruit they're made of, too."
What is cognac?
Cognac is a specific type of brandy, just like bourbon is a style of whiskey. Named after the Cognac region of France, this style of aged brandy is among the most revered in the world.
Cognac is prized for its smooth and soft character and the high quality grapes it's distilled from. "It's an extension of wine, in that you can still taste the grape in it. Other types of brandy don't always offer a hint of the fruit they're made from," Erickson says. "In some ways, cognac is the gold standard of brandy."
France has enacted strict quality standards to preserve the integrity of cognac and its reputation as one of the finest styles of brandy available. French law dictates that it can only be produced in the state of Charente in the Cognac region. Cognac must also be distilled from white grapes only. It's required to be distilled twice and aged for a minimum of two years in French oak barrels.
"There are different tiers, or grades, based on how long each Cognac has been aged," Erickson says. Since the aging process has such a profound effect on color, flavor and price, it's helpful to understand what each grade means when shopping for cognac.
| Cognac age grade | Meaning |
| V.S. | Aged two to four years |
| V.S.O.P. | Aged four to six years. |
| Napoléon | Aged six to ten years |
| X.O | Aged at least ten years |
Hennessy is a brand of cognac
Hennessy is the most familiar brand of cognac in the world. The brand's labels account for over 40% of the global cognac market. "They're a very old brand, they've been producing cognac continuously since the 1700s," Erickson says.
Hennessy, along with Rémy Martin and Courvoisier, are the three most accessible and popular brands of cognac available globally. "A lot of people think of cognac as those three brands," Erickson says. "But there are lots of smaller distilleries making affordable and high quality cognacs too."
Other types of brandy
Brandy is a very diverse family of spirits that goes beyond cognac. "There are a number of styles and ways to make brandy," Erickson says. "Every producing region has their own traditions."
There are as many different styles of brandy as there are places it's made. Brandy de Jerez from Spain, Raki or Rakia in the Balkans and Mediterranean, and the grape-based Italian grappa are all standouts. There are also many brandies produced in California's wine country by large and craft distillers alike. Here is a quick rundown of some of the most well known styles of brandy.
Eau de vie: French for "water of life," eau de vie is a term that describes unaged brandy. Eau de vie is a clear spirit made to showcase the ripeness and freshness of the fruits used to produce it. This term is sometimes used to describe the fruit-based distillate before it is barrel aged.
Armagnac: Armagnac is a popular style of French brandy distilled in the Armagnac region Gascony, Southwestern France. It's similar to cognac, but since it is produced in a different region with different traditions, has a different protected name. Compared to cognac production, armagnac brandies are produced by much smaller distilleries in smaller amounts more for local consumption.
Calvados: Made in the Calvados region of Normandy, Calvados is a French apple brandy distilled from hard apple cider. Along with Cognac and Armagnac, Calvados is a legally protected style of brandy.
Pisco: Pisco is a South American grape brandy made in Peru and Chile. Peru has more strict laws dictating the production of pisco, which leads to a more consistent and high quality product. Looser regulations in Chile allow for more variation and experimentation.
Applejack: Similar to calvados, Applejack is an American apple brandy that was first distilled in the late 1600s. Laird's was the first distillery to make American Applejack and is the premiere brand to this day.
Common ways to drink brandy and cognac
Because of its inherent sweetness, brandy and cognac are often served as a digestif – an after dinner drink. "The iconic way to drink brandy is neat in a big snifter glass," Erickson says. "But it's also great served on the rocks and mixes incredibly well in cocktails."
"In a lot of senses, I think brandy is undervalued in the mixing world," Erickson says. "It's great at rounding out and softening other spirits in drinks or even swapping them out entirely." The most well-known cognac-based cocktail is the Sidecar, which mixes cognac with dry Curacao and lemon juice.
"Brandy and cognac were often used in classic cocktails from New Orleans," Erickson says. Golden age drinks like the Sazerac were originally made with cognac before shortages led to the base spirit being switched to rye whiskey.
Insider's takeaway
Brandy is a wide-ranging and diverse category of spirits distilled from fermented fruit. The most recognizable style of brandy is cognac, a barrel-aged grape brandy produced in France under strict legal conditions. Although grape brandies from France get most of the attention, brandy is produced all over the world and has many unique expressions, like South American Pisco and American Applejack.