Brandy & fruit spirits

Cognac-region wine-brandy GI defined by permitted grapes, seasonal double distillation and regional oak maturation.

French GI for wine spirit from the Cognac area, using permitted grapes and prescribed distillation and aging; label age categories refer to the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend.

Double pot distillation gives floral fruit and fine texture; long oak aging brings vanilla, spice and rancio.

HennessyCognac, France. Cognac house and maturation site.

Gascon wine-brandy GI commonly distinguished by single distillation in a continuous Armagnac still.

French GI from defined Gascon zones with permitted grapes, production methods and aging/label terms.

Often single-distilled in a continuous Armagnac still: robust fruit, prune, spice and earthy complexity.

Château de LaubadeSorbet, Bas-Armagnac, France. Bas-Armagnac estate.

Jerez-area Spanish brandy GI defined by local maturation, characteristically in a solera of Sherry-seasoned casks.

Spanish GI produced and aged exclusively in Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, typically using a criaderas y solera system.

Rich, rounded and cask-led, with dried fruit, walnut and sweet spice from seasoned Sherry casks.

Bodegas FundadorJerez de la Frontera, Spain. Sherry-cask brandy site.

Grape spirit governed by separate Peruvian and Chilean denominations with materially different production rules.

Peru and Chile regulate separate pisco denominations; grapes, geographic zones, distillation strength and maturation permissions differ, so check country of origin.

Aromatic and grape-driven; Peruvian styles are unaged, while Chilean rules permit resting or wood aging.

Hacienda La CaravedoIca Valley, Peru. Historic pisco distillery.

Protected Italian, Sammarinese or Ticinese grape-marc spirit distilled from pomace rather than wine.

EU GI for grape-marc spirit produced in Italy, San Marino or Ticino under the registered requirements.

Pomace gives concentrated skins, seeds and floral notes; can be young and crystalline or oak-aged.

Nardini DistilleryBassano del Grappa, Veneto, Italy. Historic Italian pomace spirit producer.

Family of Normandy cider-and-perry spirit appellations differentiated by orchard origin and distillation method.

A family of Normandy appellations for cider/perry spirit, with rules varying by appellation for fruit origin, distillation and maturation.

Apple and pear move from fresh peel and blossom toward baked fruit, spice and leather with age.

Christian DrouinPont-l’Évêque, Normandy, France. Norman apple and pear spirit.

Broad family of unsweetened spirits distilled from a named fermented fruit and normally bottled without oak influence.

Usually an unsweetened fruit spirit; EU law defines fruit spirit categories, but the phrase eau-de-vie itself does not always signal one protected place.

Unaged, intensely aromatic expressions of pear, cherry, plum, raspberry or other fruit.

Rochelt DistilleryFritzens, Tyrol, Austria. Tyrolean fruit-brandy distillery.

Bolivian high-valley denomination for aromatic Moscatel of Alexandria grape spirit.

Bolivia reserves the denomination for spirit distilled from fresh-grape wine, produced and bottled in authorized zones; implementing rules require Moscatel of Alexandria for the denomination.

Unaged and highly aromatic, with orange blossom, fresh grape, citrus peel and peppery floral lift.

Casa Real DistillerySanta Ana, Tarija, Bolivia. High-valley Moscatel singani distillery.

South African class made entirely from double-pot-distilled wine spirit and matured in oak for at least three years.

South African potstill brandy is made entirely from pot-still wine distillate, double-distilled in copper and matured in oak for at least three years under national rules.

Chenin Blanc or Colombard fruit meets vanilla, dried apricot, baking spice and polished oak, usually with a fuller texture than blended brandy.

KWV House of FirePaarl, Western Cape, South Africa. Cape wine-brandy production site.