Cognac is a brandy, but brandy is not necessarily cognac. Brandy is any spirit distilled from fermented fruit, usually grapes. Cognac is brandy made in the Cognac region of France under strict legal rules covering grape, still, ageing and location. Every cognac is a brandy; almost no brandy is cognac.
The core difference
- brandy — a spirit distilled from fermented fruit. Made everywhere, from anything.
- cognac — grape brandy made in a defined area around the town of Cognac, to a protected legal standard.
What cognac has to satisfy
The rules are specific, and a spirit failing any of them cannot use the name:
- Produced within the delimited Cognac region of western France.
- Made predominantly from particular white grapes, chiefly Ugni Blanc.
- Distilled twice in copper pot stills, within a fixed season.
- Aged at least two years in French oak.
The age designations
The labels indicate the youngest spirit in the blend, not the average:
- VS — at least two years.
- VSOP — at least four.
- XO — at least ten, raised from six in 2018.
Armagnac, and why it is not the same
Armagnac is the other great French grape brandy, from Gascony, and it is older than cognac by roughly two centuries. It is usually distilled once rather than twice, in a column still, which leaves more character in the spirit. Cognac tends to be smoother, armagnac more robust — a real difference in method, not marketing.
Other fruit brandies
Not all brandy is from grapes. Calvados is apple brandy from Normandy; kirsch is from cherries; slivovitz from plums. Grappa is made from grape skins and stems left after winemaking, which makes it a pomace brandy rather than a wine brandy.
Where the word comes from
Brandy is shortened from brandywine, itself from Dutch brandewijn — burnt wine, meaning wine that has been distilled. The Dutch traded the spirit widely, which is how a Dutch word ended up naming a French product in English.
Frequently asked questions
Is cognac a brandy?
Yes. Cognac is grape brandy made in the Cognac region of France to a protected legal standard. All cognac is brandy; most brandy is not cognac.
What do VS, VSOP and XO mean?
They give the minimum age of the youngest spirit in the blend: VS two years, VSOP four, XO ten.
What is the difference between cognac and armagnac?
Region and method. Armagnac comes from Gascony and is usually distilled once in a column still, leaving a more robust spirit; cognac is twice-distilled in pot stills.