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Brandy

The word brandy comes from a Dutch word, brandewijn, meaning burnt wine. Brandy usually refers to distilled wine just as whisky is essentially distilled ale. Initially brandy would have been what we would think of as an eaux-de-vie, an unaged spirit, but it was noted how long storage in oak could create something special. Nowadays the word ‘brandy’ usually refers to an aged spirit.

The most famous varieties of brandy both come from France: Cognac to the north of the city of Bordeaux, and Armagnac in the south west of the country.

The other notable brandy superpowers are Spain, most notably with Brandy de Jerez from the sherry region, and South Africa. You will also find fine brandies from Armenia, Italy, Georgia, Germany, America, and Greece in the form of Metaxa which is flavoured with wine and herbs. Wherever wine is made, you will find brandy.

In addition to grape brandies, there are also fruit brandies, the most notable of which is Calvados which is made from apples in Normandy. Many so-called fruit brandies, however, are made from a mixture of fruit, sugar and neutral alcohol rather than distilled from fruit so are labelled as liqueurs. Whichever fruit is used to make the brandy, producers will crush and ferment it to create a wine or cider. Distillation usually takes place in a two-stage batch process as in Cognac but in some regions such as Armagnac a short column is more traditional. Ageing usually takes place in a mixture of old and new barrels so that the wood flavour doesn’t become too strong. Traditionally European oak would be used but some producers are experimenting with American or even Japanese oak as well as cask finishes. Most will be diluted and sometimes sweetened before bottling.

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Best Seller
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal product image
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
70 cl / 40% ABV
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17 Reviews
56.94
Best Seller
Courvoisier XO Cognac product image
Courvoisier XO Cognac
70 cl / 40% ABV
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30 Reviews
124.99
Metaxa Private Reserve product image
Metaxa Private Reserve
70 cl / 40% ABV
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16 Reviews
75.24
Best Seller
Hennessy XO product image
Hennessy XO
70 cl / 40% ABV
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16 Reviews
156.95
Price Drop
Torres 30 Jaime I Brandy product image
Torres 30 Jaime I Brandy
70 cl / 38% ABV
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6 Reviews
83.99
94.24 -10%
Hine Rare VSOP Cognac product image
Hine Rare VSOP Cognac
70 cl / 40% ABV
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17 Reviews
53.99
Best Seller
Asbach Original 3 Year Old product image
Asbach Original 3 Year Old
70 cl / 38% ABV
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20 Reviews
29.49
Best Seller
Baron de Sigognac 20 Year Old product image
Baron de Sigognac 20 Year Old
70 cl / 40% ABV
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
7 Reviews
83.54
Free Delivery
Rémy Martin XO product image
Rémy Martin XO
70 cl / 40% ABV
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
16 Reviews
155.95
Price Drop
Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva Brandy de Jerez product image
Carlos I Solera Gran Reserva Brandy de Jerez
70 cl / 40% ABV
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17 Reviews
35.74
40.26 -11%
Best Seller
Metaxa 12 Stars product image
Metaxa 12 Stars
70 cl / 40% ABV
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
19 Reviews
33.00
Staff Pick
Courvoisier VSOP Cognac product image
Courvoisier VSOP Cognac
70 cl / 40% ABV
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57 Reviews
38.99
Staff Pick
Maxime Trijol VSOP Grande Champagne product image
Maxime Trijol VSOP Grande Champagne
70 cl / 40% ABV
Full starFull starFull starFull starHalf star
6 Reviews
66.00