Cognac
Cognac is on the west coast of France about 150 miles north of Armagnac. Although 150 miles appears a brief distance the brandy produced there, cognac, is totally totally different from armagnac.
Cognac Area
Cognac’s soil accommodates limestone. There’s a temperate local weather which is humid, on the coast, sizzling and sunny which makes it doable to ripen the grapes.
However in Cognac the wine produced wouldn’t be very attention-grabbing had been it not for the alchemy that takes place within the pot nonetheless. That’s what produces the cognac.
The alcohol is produced from the sugar that’s naturally within the fruit.
The Pot-Nonetheless
It’s made from copper totally as a result of copper has a catalyzing impact and won’t have an effect on the style of the spirits. With the fireplace beneath the nonetheless heating the nonetheless the alcohols and ethers evaporate. The vapors thus created journey by an extended coil, condense after which are collected in liquid type in an oak cask.
Double Distillation
There are two heating cycles of about 12 hours every. Throughout this distillation the skilled cognac maker retains solely what is called the guts of the distillation. It’s separated from what are identified and the heads and tails. This course of known as slicing. Solely the guts is saved for ageing which can then change into cognac. This can be a very clear spirit averaging between 68 and 72% quantity.
The Story of Cognac
My favourite bit about cognac is the legend of how the key of double distillation was found within the sixteenth century by the Knight Jacques de la Croix-Maron.
It’s because of his nightmare that we’ve got cognac, so the story goes.
Devil, desirous to have his soul tried to boil it however didn’t succeed. It’s when the satan threatened to reboil it that the knight awoke out of the blue. He was then satisfied that by distilling his wine a second time he would permit his wine to specific itself in a brand new method.
The wine then has to age earlier than turning into cognac.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of individuals who desire cognac as their brandy and can argue to the demise that there’s none higher.
I go away it to you to make up your personal thoughts. Is cognac your favourite brandy?