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Brandy Notes
The name comes from the Dutch word brandwijn meaning burnt wine and is made from grapes unlike other spirits which are usually made from grain. As brandy is made from grape its production is dependant on the harvest and therefore different from year to year unlike grain spirit which can be made all year round from stored grain.
Grape Brandy is distilled from fermented grape juice or crushed but not pressed grape pulp & skins. The spirit is aged in (usually oak) wood casks
Fruit Brandy is made with juice from all fruits other than grape. These are distilled from wine wines
Calvados - apple brandy is the most famous and is from the french region of Normandy
Eau-de-Vie (water of life) is the general name given to french spirits & specifically of colourless brandies
Whilst Calvados is made from apples other fruit well known brandies are Kir (cherry) Framboise (raspberry) Poire (pear) and Slivovitz (plum)
Pomace Brandy (Italian Grappa and French Marc) is brandy made from pressed grape pulp, skins and stems left over from the wine making process. These pomace brandies are not aged and are not often seen in wood casks. They are an acquired taste and are often rough and ready. If aged, the the grappa will be smoother and more easily drunk. Some of the bottles are beautifully designed in shape and appear quite elegant.
Metaxa is a greek brandy made with muscat wine, anise & other spices.
Brandy de Jerez is made by the sherry houses in spain and is aged in sherry casks. Aged for a minimum of 6month,. Reserva for 1 year, Gran Reserva for 3 years & the best Reserva and Gran Reserva is aged for 12 to 15 years. Jerez brandy has a lovely lush and slightly sweet taste with beautiful aromas from the sherry casks
Cognac is the most famous brandy. All are blends. All start out in oak casks to mellow the spirit which has been double distilled. Batches of the spirit is then chosen for maturing then matured in older casks
V.S / V.S.P. / 3 star - Very Superior - min of 2yrs for aging in casks. The average is 5 yrs
V.S.O.P Very superior old pale - min 4years for aging in casks. The average is 10/15 years
X.O. Extra old - A mim of 6 years for the youngest cognac average is 20yrs
Armagnac is the oldest type of Brandy from the region of Gascony & the brandy is given extra aging in local monlezun oak. Most Aarmagnacs are blends but you can find single vintages and most blends have a higher percentage of the older vintages than cognac which makes armagnac a much better buy.
Calvados is distilled from specially grown and selected apples.Calvados producers often use over 100 varieties of apples, some sweet, some tart and others bitter.
The fruit is picked (usually by hand) and pressed into a juice that is fermented into a dry cider. It is then distilled into eau de vie. After two years aging in oak casks, it can be sold as Calvados. The longer it is aged, the smoother the drink becomes. Usually the maturation goes on for several years. A bottle of twenty-year-old Calvados can easily command double the price of a bottle of ten-year-old Calvados.
Brandy Cocktails
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