Category: Brandy Education

We read in the papers that Swedish scientists claim to have found proof that adding water to whisky will make it tastier.  To be fair to Professor Bjorn Karlsson, who led the research, he does say that the balance will depend on the concentration and taste compounds that are characteristic of each whisky.  However, it is also claimed that, similar considerations can be used to optimise the alcohol concentrations of other spirits including gin, rum and brandy.  Drinking cognac with water is certainly a topic for discussion. We are not scientists but we do taste thousands of cognacs and we… Read more

For the last three centuries cognac has been almost universally recognised as the finest of all the hundreds of spirits distilled from grapes. So why should you choose cognac?  For sheer depth and intensity, fruitiness, subtlety of bouquet, warmth and complexity of flavour and length of time for which the taste lingers on the palate, cognac remains incomparable. The ability to extract so much of the essential flavour from the grape is no accident. It involves possessing the right soil and climate and choosing the right grape varieties.  Appropriate distillation methods must be used.  Then, the inherent quality must be… Read more

On a recent trip to the Charente I took this picture of a rose bush at the end of a row of cognac vines. This placement of rose bushes has created considerable interest from our followers.   I therefore thought it would make an ideal Technical Topic. Originally, roses were planted in vineyards as an early warning system. Roses and grapevines typically have the same type of soil and sun requirements.  In addition, both are prone to the infestation of a fungus known as powdery mildew. If this fungus appeared on the roses, the vines were sprayed with sulphur to… Read more

During the 18th Century smuggling in Cornwall was a way of life.  It is said that at its peak, more than 500,000 gallons of French brandy was smuggled in per year.  This equates to more than two million bottles. Whole families were involved and the number of smugglers far outweighed the number of Excise men stationed along the coast to stop them. There was a strong incentive to continue since the cost of buying brandy legally, with Alcohol Duty paid, was five times greater than the cost of the contraband.  It was often the case that even the judiciary, doctors… Read more

During the war years the Cognaçais were required to provide the Germans with large quantities of brandy. They cheated of course by shipping spirits made from root vegetables thus maintaining their stocks of real cognac. It was during this period that Maurice Hennessy and a well known grower, Pierre Verneuil, followed the example of the growers in the Champagne region and created the wine and eaux-de-vie distribution bureau to preserve the cognac stock. When the war ended this organisation emerged as the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), cognac’s governing body.  Composed equally of growers and merchants, the BNIC acquired a great… Read more

Cognac is produced in the delimited region of France known as the Charente and Charente Maritime which borders on the Atlantic Ocean.  To the west the region borders on the Gironde estuary and includes the islands of Ré and Oléron and to the east it neighbours the region of Angoulême and the foothills of the Massif Central.  The production area also covers some areas of the Dordogne and Deux Sévres.  The total area of vineyards currently covers 79,636 hectares (ha), close to 200,000 acres, of which 95% is used for cognac production.  The Cognac production area was delimited by decree… Read more

There are said to be 5000 cognac producers in the Charente, the vast majority make cognac for the big cognac houses and sell it to them within a couple of years.  But some, perhaps around 10%, have learnt to wait until their heavenly nectars have matured for longer.  Locked away in dark cellars they gradually develop the individual and very personal qualities of their makers. When you buy a specifically aged or vintage cognac, you are buying the makers’ skills and experiences that have been honed over generations into a single taste experience.  Every cognac distillation is different. The very finest come… Read more

Over the years many people have asked if barrels used for other drinks can be used for storing cognacs as is the case with whisky and some other brandies such as calvados. There is little doubt that whisky producers have stored their products in barrels that have been used for many different fine wines and spirits. Of note are barrels that have stored sherry, port, sauternes and even cognac. This practice, known as ‘adding a finish’, is generally used by the whisky industry and usually only for a few weeks which is sufficient to change the flavour and sometimes the… Read more

Every bottle containing alcohol must have a label showing clearly what is in it, including the quantity and alcoholic strength. Most producers of alcoholic drinks are controlled by a professional organisation who regulate what can or must be stated on the label. The cognac label is no exception and in some ways cognac is controlled more rigorously than other wines and spirits. The professional body responsible for cognac is known as the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC). It is a private, state-backed organisation that not only controls the labelling of cognac but almost every other aspect of its production including… Read more

There seems little doubt that alcohol can, in moderation, be good for you. It has been said that drinking cognac provides a greater benefit than other alcohol and scientists tell us that it increases antioxidant levels. These are beneficial substances that keep harmful free radicals from damaging our cells. According to a study published in “Cardiovascular Ultrasound” in 2008, this sort of damage can increase the risk of clogged arteries, heart disease, cancer and vision loss. Drinking alcohol may also help limit the risk of Type 2 Diabetes but beware, excessive consumption can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and… Read more