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Do not confuse brandy and cognac

Modern man has unlimited access to alcoholic products. Therefore, to be able to distinguish them means to ensure maximum safety for both yourself and your environment. And for someone, erudition in this matter may turn out to be the key that opens the door to comprehending such an important concept as “drinking culture”.

Way of brandy

To see the difference between brandy and cognac , very little information is required. First of all, you should decide on the names themselves. And so, what does the concept of “brandy” mean by itself?

It turns out that this is a general term for the products of the distillation of wine made from grapes, their pomace or berry / fruit mash. The strength of such alcoholic products ranges, as a rule, from 40 to 60 degrees

Tracing the history of the drink, popular among many peoples, the researchers found that it appeared a long time ago. Mentions of technology involving the distillation of wine date back to the 12th century. The word “brandewijn” appeared a little later – in the 16th century. It was this product – burnt, that is, distilled wine, that was offered to consumers in those distant times by Dutch merchants. Gradually, the word itself was transformed and now it already sounds like “brande”.

Raw material

There are numerous drinks called brandy , according to several criteria. One of the main ones is the raw materials used for its production. It can be grape wine, pomace, other berries and fruits. Classical representatives of products prepared on the basis of grape wine are French Armagnac and cognac, Turkish (factorymade) crayfish, Bulgarian mastic, Armenian arbun, and others.

A number of drinks are prepared using pomace remaining after extraction of juice from various grape varieties. These include French mark, Georgian chacha, Italian grappa, and many other drinks.

Among the fruits and berries, the most popular are apple calvados, pear williams. There is also a boletus, the raw material for which are juniper berries, cherry kirsch, and raspberry framboise.

You can list the names of brandy produced from the wonderful gifts of nature for a long time. Almost all fruits and berries known to people are used in recipes. Their name must be indicated in the manufactured product.

Aging

Another of the most important criteria is aging in oak barrels . According to this principle, magical potions are divided into aged and, accordingly, unaged. The first – have a certain “age”. They must be placed for some time in special barrels. Thanks to this, they acquire a magnificent bouquet of tastes, aroma, an unusual palette of shades of amber-brown color.

Unaged brandy is bottled immediately after going through the distillation process. There are other features that are taken into account when determining a particular type of brandy. The main thing is to choose high-quality drinks. Our company will help you do this. After all, Brandbar products are of high quality and excellent assortment.

Drink “in law”

With the concept of “brandy” we tried to figure it out a bit and now we come to the main question, why you must not confuse brandy and cognac. After all, cognac is also made from grape wine using the distillation method.

And here there are several “buts”. Firstly , for the production of an elite drink, only certain grape varieties are taken. Currently it is Ugni Blanc. Secondly , it is established at the legislative level that only certain products can have the name “cognac”. They are produced in France, in the department of Charente, near the city of the same name – Cognac .

Strict instructions must be followed in production technology. All points must be followed exactly according to the rules prescribed in the relevant documentation. Rigorous principles are also adhered towards aging. Its minimum term is not less than two years. Moreover, the drink must “ripen” in barrels made of oak , growing in the forests of Tronse and Limousin.

The most important element is blending. To preserve the uniqueness and style of a particular brand, hundreds of spirits are mixed. There are other differences between brandy and cognac. To find out for sure, you can conduct a tasting using the extensive range of exquisite products offered by Brandbar.

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