Freedom Lawyers of America

Subject: French Brandy.

Following is the official explanation of the Difference between Cognac. which is a kind of run of the mill brandy, with what I consider the king of brandies -- Armagnac. If I were writing about good brandy the first name that would come to my mind would be Armagnac. A pity they are both only produced in France. Armagnac claims a longer history than Cognac, probably produced by the Moors in the 12th century, and certainly from the 15th century onwards. Isolated from efficient transport links, it remained very much a locally consumed product until the middle of the 18th century. Production contrasts significantly with the much more industrial methods employed in Cognac. There remains a mood of experimentation in Armagnac: they freely use more fragrant grape varieties, along with a variety of distillation methods. It is slightly more rustic in style than Cognac, softer and rounder, with a fuller flavour on both nose and palate. The family-owned house of Nismes-Declou can trace its origins back to 1832. It produces Armagnacs of extraordinary intensity and finesse, allied with the capacity of ageing effortlessly for up to a century, and sometimes even longer.

What is the difference between Cognac and brandy?Brandy is named after the Dutch term 'brandjiwin': It defines a spirit distilled from wine or fermented juice and aged for at least six months in oak casks.Technically, therefore, all Cognacs are brandies. But while the brandy may be made anywhere in the world, Cognac can only be produced in the Cognac region. A decree passed in 1909 delimits the boundaries of the Cognac production area; later decrees define the laws to follow in order to merit the controlled appellation: Other laws cover topics including the two stage distillation, the maturing in oak casks in warehouses called "jaune d'or" (or golden yellow), reserved specifically for Cognac, the minimum period of aging of approximately 30 months.

Sheldon (Shelly) Waxman, J.D. http://www.thelawyer.infoIC Specialist http://www.independentcontractor.info NewPulp Literary Productions-- http://www.newpulp.net