BRANDY AND COGNAC DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKTAILS

BRANDY AND COGNAC DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

Do you know the difference between Brandy and Cognac? The truth is that it is very common to confuse these drinks or not know how to distinguish one from the other.

To begin with, we must be clear that Brandy is a type of drink and cognac is a type of brandy.

The four main differences between Cognac and Brandy are location, raw material, distillation and aging.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKTAILS

Location

Brandy can be produced anywhere in the world. Cognac can only be made in France, in the Cognac region, located north of Bordeaux, and be under the Controlled Designation of Origin of Cognac (DOC). The national interprofessional office of Cognac, with its French acronym BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac) establishes the regulations for production within the appellation of origin.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKTAILS

Raw material

Brandy can be made from any variety of grapes (white or red).

Cognac can only be made with three varieties of white grapes ugni blanc, also some colombard or folle blanche. Of course, it does not introduce other varieties, completely ruling out the use of red grapes.

Distillation

Brandy can be made through any distillation process.

In the distillation of Cognac, however, it is done with double distillation in a Charentais-type still, a classic copper still.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKTAILS

Breeding

It is the stage where we find the greatest differences.

The Brandy is aged for at least six months in wooden barrels.

Regarding the aging of Jerez brandy, according to the regulatory council it is:

Brandy solera: It must have an aging time of more than six months.

Brandy solera reserva: Its aging time must be greater than one year.

Brandy solera gran reserva: Minimum aging time of three years.

For its part, the characteristic of Cognac aging is that it is aged for a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

According to its upbringing it is called:

VS (Very Special) or ✯✯✯ (3 stars): These are cognacs whose youngest spirit has been aged for at least two years in barrels.

VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): cognacs whose youngest spirit has been aged for at least four years in barrels.

XO (Extra old): cognacs whose youngest brandy has been aged for at least six years in barrels.

They are basic differences that provide us with the most important keys to know how to distinguish them and properly guide our clients, as good professionals in our sector.