2. S.N. TOPICS
CONTENES
1. Introduction
2. Types of brandy
3. Production process of brandy
4. Labelling
5. Brand Names of brandy
6. Extra information regarding brandy

3.  The word Brandy derived from Dutch brandewijn—
"burnt wine" is a spirit produced by distilling wine.
Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by
volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically taken as an
after dinner drink.Some brandies are aged
in wooden casks, while some are simply colored
with caramel coloring to imitate the effect of such
aging (and some brandies are produced using a
combination of both aging and coloring).
 Brandy is also produced from fermented fruits other
than grapes, but these products are typically
named eaux-de-vie, specially in French.
 In some countries, fruit flavouring or some other
flavouring may be added to a spirit that is called
"brandy".

4.  If a beverage comes from a particular fruit (or multiple
fruits) other than exclusively grapes, or from the must of
such fruit, it may be referred to as a "fruit brandy" or "fruit
spirit" or using the name of a fruit, such as "peach
brandy", rather than just generically as "brandy". If
pomace is the raw material, the beverage may be
called "pomace brandy", "marc brandy", "grape marc",
"fruit marc spirit", or "grape marc spirit". Grape pomace
brandy may be designated as "grappa" or "grappa
brandy". Apple brandy may be referred to as
"applejack". There is also a product called "grain brandy"
that is made from grain spirits.
 In the United States, brandy that has been produced in
some way other than using grape wine must be labelled
with a clarifying description of the type of brandy
production (e.g., "peach brandy", "fruit brandy", "dried
fruit brandy", or "pomace brandy"), and brandy that has
not been aged in oak for at least two years must be
labelled as "immature"

5.  There are three main types of brandy.
The term "brandy" denotes grape
brandy if the type is not otherwise
specified.

7.  Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of
fermented grapes.
 Albanian grape brandy (Rakı e Rushi) is the
most popular and traditional alcoholic
beverage in Albania and the Albanian regions
of EasternMontenegro.
 American grape brandy is almost always
from California. Popular brands
include Christian Brothers and Korbel.
 Armenian brandy has been produced since
the 1880s and comes from the Ararat plain in
the southern part of Armenia. Bottles on the
market are aged anywhere from 3 to 20 years.

8. In the United States, brandy that has been
produced in some way other than using grape
wine must be labelled with a clarifying
description of the type of brandy production
(e.g., "peach brandy", "fruit brandy", "dried fruit
brandy", or "pomace brandy"), and brandy that
has not been aged in oak for at least two years
must be labelled as "immature"

10.  Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits other
than grapes. Apples, peaches, apricots,
plums, cherries, elderberries, raspberries,
and blackberries, are the most commonly
used fruits. Fruit brandy usually contains 40%
to 45% ABV (80 to 90 US proof). It is often
colourless. Fruit brandy is customarily drunk
chilled or over ice, but is occasionally mixed
(for example, blackberry brandy
and Coca-Cola are mixed to make a
popular New England drink called "the
blackbird").

11.  Applejack is an American apple brandy, made from the
distillation of hard cider. It was once made by fractional
freezing, which would disqualify it as a proper brandy.
 Buchu brandy is South African and flavoured with extracts
from Agathosma species.
 Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region
of Lower Normandy. It is double distilled from fermented
apples.
 Damassine is a prune (the fruit of the Damassinier tree)
brandy from the Jura Mountains of Switzerland
 Coconut brandy is a brandy made from the sap
of coconut flowers.
 Rakia is a type of fruit brandy produced in Albania, Bosnia,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia; it
may be made from plums, apples, quinces, pears,
apricots, cherries, mulberries, grapes, or walnuts.

12.  Pomace brandy (also called marc in both English
and French) is produced by fermentation and
distillation of the grape skins, seeds, and stems that
remain after grapes have been pressed to extract
their juice (which is then used to make wine). Most
pomace brandies are neither aged nor coloured.
1. Examples of pomace brandy are:
2. Albanian Raki e Rushi
3. Bulgarian джиброва
4. Macedonian комова
5. Cretan tsikoudia

14.  The first step in making fine brandies is to allow the
fruit juice (typically grape) to ferment. This usually
means placing the juice, or must as it is known in the
distilling trade, in a large vat at 68-77°F (20-25°C) and
leaving it for five days. During this period, natural
yeast present in the distillery environment will ferment
the sugar present in the must into alcohol and
carbon dioxide. The white wine grapes used for most
fine brandy usually ferment to an alcohol content of
around 10%.
 Fine brandies are always made in small batches using
pot stills. A pot still is simply a large pot, usually made
out of copper, with a bulbous top.

19.  Brandy has a traditional quality rating system,
although its use is unregulated outside
of Cognac and Armagnac. These indicators can
usually be found on the label near the brand
name:
 A.C.: aged two years in wood.
 V.S.: "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least three
years in wood.
 V.S.O.P.: "Very Superior Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at
least five years in wood.
 X.O.: "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged
at least six years, Napoleon at least four years.
 Vintage: Stored in the cask until the time it is
bottled with the label showing the vintage date.

20.  Hors d'age: These are too old to determine the
age, although ten years plus is typical, and are
usually of great quality.
 In the case of Brandy de Jerez, the Consejo
Regulador de la Denominacion Brandy de
Jerez classifies it according to:
 Brandy de Jerez Solera – one year old.
 Brandy de Jerez Solera Reserva – three years
old.
 Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva – ten
years old.


21.  Christian Brothers
 Coronet VSO
 Courvoisier
 Hennessey
 Hiram Walker
 Jacquin
 Lejon
 Leroux
 Martell
 Metaxas
 Remy Martin