While the spirit produced from distillation is simply called eau de vie (which translates from French to English as “water of life”), it’s clear and only has the simple flavours imparted by the distillation process. To give it the amber, copper, caramel, or dark brown colours many drinkers associate with cognac and other brandies, it needs to be matured in wooden barrels similar to whisk(e)y. In Jerez, the “age” of a bottling refers to the weighted average of the spirit in the solera. A Spanish brandy labeled a 20 YO, for example, would typically incorporate brandies ranging from four to 50 years in age. 20 years is the weighted average of the age of the different brandies in the solera. One of the first innovators in the California wine world, Paul Massin emigrated to the US from France in the late 1800s. He made many wines (including the first sparkling wine in America) but is today well-known for his brandy. It’s still made the same way over 100 years later. The most well-known expression is Paul Masson VS. Made the traditional way and aged in oak, it carries notes of caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, and rich oak. In Penedès the two major producers, Torres and Mascaró, do a double distillation in alembic pot stills and then mature their brandy in a combination of American and French Limousine oak barrels. Torres utilizes a solera system, Mascaró does not. The resulting style is lighter than Brandy de Jerez, but deeper colored and flavored than Cognac. This family-owned spirits and liqueur brand is produced in Angers, France. Founded in 1885 by Emilie Giffard, it makes countless products like Coconut Liqueur, Crème de menthe, Marschino Liqueur, and others. But it also makes a few fruit brandies. These include apricot, cherry, and others. While the brand doesn’t make cognac, you’d be hard-pressed to find a brand that makes more exciting, flavourful expressions than Giffard.

20 Best Brandy Brands to Sip Right Now | Man of Many 20 Best Brandy Brands to Sip Right Now | Man of Many

Chosen for several years as the Best Brandy in the World at contests like the International Wine &Spirit Competition. Chateau Tanunda is one of the most recognizable buildings in Australia. Founded in 1890, it was a wine pioneer in Barossa Valley in South Australia. While still well-known for its winemaking prowess, Chateau Tanunda also makes a well-known brandy. Known for its smooth, elegant flavours, this popular brandy is matured for a minimum of five years. This is similar to the Scotch whisky industry’s preoccupation a generation ago with kilts and bagpipes in marketing Scotch whisky. Spain’s brandy producers need to market their product to appeal to a more cosmopolitan buyer, while still preserving its essential Spanish character.On the nose, there is an intense sherry cask aroma of raisin, prune and sweet almond. The palate features a pronounced weight with dried fruit, along with some coffee notes, orange zest and cinnamon. The finish, which is very rich and satiny smooth, emphasizes sweet almond notes, with a hint of bitterness on the end. If you’re a brandy fan and you’ve never tried pisco, you’re really missing out. If you want to try one, we suggest Barsol Pisco. This small batch, estate bottled pisco is distilled in Ica, Peru. Its Barsol Puro Quebranta is made from wine made with 100 per cent Quebranta grapes and is distilled to bottle-proof. It’s well-known for its fruity, citrus, and slightly nutty flavours. It all started when James Delamain moved from his native Ireland to France in 1759. The brand itself didn’t officially start until 1824. Since then, the company has remained in the family with nine generations taking part in the cognac world. If you’re going to try one of its expressions, make it Delamain XO Pale and Dry. It’s known for its fruity, honey, and vanilla flavours.

Torres 20 brandy on the rock. - Torres Brandy Torres 20 brandy on the rock. - Torres Brandy

Brandy de Jerez is classified into three categories: Solera, Solera Reserva and Solera Gran Reserva. Solera is typically a mix of 50% holandas and 50% aguardiente and is aged on average for one year. It must have a three-month minimum aging. Solera Reserva is a mix of 75% holandas and 25% aguardiente and is aged for an average of three years. It has a minimum aging of one year. Solera Gran Reserva is 100% holandas and is aged for an average of 10 years, with a minimum aging of three years. Keep up with the latest trends, best stories, and crucial updates from Man of Many direct to your inbox. Spanish brandy is mostly based on the Airén grape; a variety that can tolerate heat and drought. It is mostly grown for brandy production in La Mancha and Valdapeñas in central Spain. Palomino, a grape variety used in sherry production, is also used for producing Spanish brandy. In Penedès brandy producers use Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, the same grape varieties used to produce Spanish Cava. They also use Ugni blanc, the same grape variety used in Cognac. To be called a Brandy de Jerez, the brandy needs to be matured within the sherry triangle in casks that previously held sherry and utilize a solera system for aging. It does not, however, need to be distilled in Jerez or use grapes grown there. Each extraction from the solera is called a saca. Up to a quarter of a barrel’s contents can be extracted at any one time. The brandy removed is replaced with brandy from the next oldest criadera until all of the criaderas have been filled. The youngest criadera is topped up with new spirit. Extractions can take place as often as every four months or as infrequently as once a year, or even once every two years.This is different practice than say the Scotch whisky industry where the stated age on a bottling is the youngest component of the blend. Likewise, with Cognac, the different classifications are based on the youngest component of the blend, even though those blends could incorporate spirits that are far older. One of the “big four” cognac houses, Remy Martin has been producing award-winning cognacs since its inception in 1724. Cognacs produced by Remy Martin have a Cognac Fine Champagne appellation. This means that they only use eau de vie made from Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne crus. While the brand has a whole line of cognacs, one of its most popular is its VSOP. Known for its flavours of licorice, dried fruits, vanilla, and caramel, it’s a must-try cognac. This very limited, small-batch cognac brand is well-known for its artisanal expressions. Using traditional ingredients and techniques, this small brand was named for a familial French general and war hero. Philbert Distiller Reserve Grande Champagne Cognac, with its hints of coffee, almonds, vanilla, caramel, and dried fruits, is one of its most popular expressions.

Torres 20 Old Fashioned - Mixes - Torres Brandy Torres 20 Old Fashioned - Mixes - Torres Brandy

Shop at Dan Murphy’s Shop at Whisky Exchange 23rd Street Distillery ‘Not Your Nannas Brandy | Image: Supplied 12. 23rd St Distillery Brandy bodegas in Jerez are required to utilize a solera system of fractional blending. The solera consists of a series of barrels called criaderas (nurseries in Spanish). Each criadera is numbered. It can consist of one to hundreds of barrels. All the barrels in a criadera hold brandy of the same average age. A bodega may have anywhere from three to as many as 45 different criaderas. The oldest criadera is called the solera. These are the barrels from which the brandy destined for bottling is extracted. Named for its location on Twenty Third Street in Renmark in South Australia’s Riverland. 23 rd St Distillery is known for paying tribute to traditions while being firmly entrenched in the modern world. The distillery makes many notable vodka, gin, and whiskey expressions, but we’re here to talk about its range of brandies. The most noteworthy is called Not Your Nanna’s Brandy, a rich, fruity, oaky, slightly spicy brandy.Spanish brandy sales don’t have much traction outside of Spain and a handful of export markets in former Spanish possessions. In the US, it has a small but dedicated following. That’s unfortunate, because it really is an excellent product.

Torres 20 Brandy

Shop at Bardinet Shop at Dan Murphy’s Shop at Woolworths Barsol Quebranta Pisco | Image: Supplied 7. Barsol Pisco Shop at Camus Shop at Dan Murphy’s Shop at The Whisky Exchange How Man of Many Chose the Best Brandy An aged brandy distilled from the Parellada and Ugni Blanc grape varieties. Both varieties are distilled separately twice in traditional stills. Sanchez Romate, Cardenal Mendoza, Solera Gran Reserva, Brandy de Jerez Photo, courtesy Sanchez Romate

Normally drink VSOP brandy but got this as a gift. It’s brandy, right, so should be good. It has a high note aroma that reminds me of something medicinal. Pot still produced spirit must have an alcohol content (ABV) of between 40% and 70%. This spirit is known in the brandy trade as “holandas.” It is only distilled once, although there are a few producers who double distill. The “date” of the solera is based on the year it was established. The barrels from which the saca is extracted would consist of a blend of brandy from each of the prior years that the solera has been maintained. Shop at Paul Masson Shop at Drizly Shop at Total Wine Asbach Original | Image: Supplied 11. Asbach Uralt To many, the best brandy feels like a spirit of a bygone era. Something your grandparents drank or at most something that was prescribed by a doctor to fight a cold decades ago. It feels like there’s no place for brandy in the contemporary spirits world, but the spirits experts at Man of Many are here to show you why that’s not the case.