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Cognac, named after the town of Cognac in France, is the most famous variety of brandy, produced in the wine-growing region surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime. The town of Cognac is one of only three officially demarcated brandy regions in Europe; the others are the French town of Armagnac and the Spanish town of Jerez.
Armagnac, one of the world’s greatest brandies, made in the Gers (pronounced ‘Jair’) département in the south-west of France, formerly the province of Gascony, homeland of D’Artagnan. The Armagnac region is now strictly delimited into the regions of Tenaréze, Haut-Armagnac and Bas-Armagnac (the latter usually considered the best) and production is rigidly controlled. Ageing of Armagnacs takes place in local dark oak 400l barrels giving a particular richness and softening of the alcohol.
Blended Scotch whisky - a blend of grain whisky and single malt whisky, that may be produced in different distilleries. Scotch Whisky is only produced in Scotland. Scotch grain whisky is usually made from unmalted barley plus maize or rye, mashed with malted barley, distilled and then aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 3 years before bottling at a strength no lower than 40% abv. Straight malt whisky is made in a pot still, and is distilled twice.
Single Malt Whisky – 100% malted barley whisky from one particular distillery. Single Malt whiskies are categorised into regions: Highland malts which also includes the regions of Speyside and the Islands; Lowland Malts; Islay Malts and; Campbeltown in the Mull of Kintyre.
Malt Whisky is bottled normally at 40% abv or just above yet some distillers and bottlers offer cask strength expressions, bottled undiluted from the whisky cask. Malt whisky at cask strength should be cut (diluted) before drinking.
American whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of cereal grain. It must have the taste, aroma, and other characteristics commonly attributed to whiskey.
The most common types listed in the federal regulations are:
- Bourbon whiskey, which is made from mash that consists of at least 51% corn (maize).
- Rye whiskey, which is made from mash that consists of least 51% rye.
- Corn whiskey, which is made from mash that consists of at least 80% corn (maize).
- Straight whiskey, (without naming a grain) is a whiskey which has been aged in charred new oak containers for 2 years or more and distilled at not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume but is derived from less than 51% of any one grain.
The ‘named types’ of American whiskey must be distilled to not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume. ‘Named types’ must then be aged in charred new oak containers, excepting corn whiskey. Corn whiskey does not have to be aged but, if it is aged, it must be in new un-charred oak barrels or used barrels. The aging for corn whiskey usually is brief, e.g. six months.
If the ageing for a ‘named type’ reaches 2 years or beyond, the whiskey is then additionally designated ‘straight’ e.g. ‘straight rye whiskey’. ‘Straight whiskey’ (without naming a grain) is a whiskey which has been aged in charred new oak containers for 2 years or more and distilled at not more than 80 percent alcohol by volume but is derived from less than 51% of any one grain.
American blended whiskeys combine straight whiskey with un-aged whiskey, grain neutral spirits, flavourings and colourings.
Important in the marketplace is Tennessee whiskey, of which Jack Daniel's is the leading example. During distillation, it is identical to bourbon whiskey in almost every important respect. The most recognizable differences are that Tennessee whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal, giving it a unique flavour and aroma. The other major difference is the reuse of barrels which is not allowed in bourbon whiskey production. The Government of the United States of America officially recognized Tennessee whiskey as a separate style in 1941.
Always whiskey with an ‘e’, its name implies the country of its origin. Irish whiskey is usually distilled three times, in huge pot stills, from cereals. The different brands of Irish malts are as individual as straight malt scotch, and it is matured for at least 7 years. Some people find Irish whiskey gentler in character than straight malt. The Irish claim, with some reason, that their spirit was evolved before Scotch; the know-how of distilling was probably brought to Scotland by monks from Ireland.
Whisky production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1924 upon the opening of the country's first distillery—Yamazaki. Broadly speaking the style of Japanese whisky is more similar to that of Scotch whisky than Irish whiskey, and thus the spelling typically follows the Scottish convention (omitting the letter ‘e’). There are several companies producing whisky in Japan. Perhaps the two most well known are Suntory and Nikka. Both of these produce blended as well as single malt Japanese whiskies.
Gin gets its name from genievre, the French for juniper as the main botanical.Gin is produced from high strength neutral spirit, predominantly grain spirit and botanical flavourings with juniper as the prominent nuance. Gin distillers either macerate the botanicals for approx. 48hrs before distilling or suspend the botanicals in the still during the distillation process.
Various styles of Gin have evolved of the years including London Dry Gin, Plymouth Gin, Old Tom and Dutch Genever gin with the distillers closely guarding their secret recipes.
Vodka traditionally is supposed to have originated in the 12th century in the Russian form of Viatka. The name was originally ‘zhiznennia voda’ (water of life) and the word ‘vodka or wodka’ means ‘little water’ .
Vodka and Flavoured Vodka is a main ingredient in many cocktails, notably the ‘Bloody Mary’ (vodka and tomato juice),‘Moscow Mule’ (vodka and ginger ale) and ‘Cosmopolitan’ (Vodka, Cointreau and Cranberry juice)
Vodka was originally made with potatoes but is now made more often than not with corn and wheat. Premium Vodkas are distilled at least 3 times (the third distillation eliminates impurities) then water is added to bring the vodka down to consumable alcohol levels .Finally the vodka is filtered through activated wood charcoal filters.
Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails. In addition to cocktails, golden and dark rums are appropriate for drinking straight, or as a brandy for cooking. Premium rums are also available that are made to be consumed straight or with ice.
Tequila is an agave-based spirit made primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The volcanic soil in the region surrounding Tequila is particularly well suited to the growing of the blue agave, and more than 300 million of the plants are harvested there each year. Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavoured with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavours to marry.
Liqueurs date back centuries and are historical descendants of herbal medicines, often those prepared by monks, as Chartreuse or Bénédictine. Liqueurs were made in Italy as early as the 13th century and their consumption was later required at all treaty signings during the Middle Ages.
The word liqueur comes from the Latin liquifacere (‘to liquefy’).
Calvados, brandy produced from apples or a blend of apples and pears from a strictly controlled area of Normandy, distilled and aged in oak barrels for a minimum of two years.
The Calvados region has three AOC’s – Calvados, Calvados Pays D’Auge and Calvados Domfrontais, the Pays D’Auge AOC stipulates that the cider must be distilled twice, enhancing its quality.
Calvados may be labelled with age designations – Fine/3 star - minimum age of 2 years, Reserve – minimum age 3 years, Vieille Reserve/VSOP – minimum age 4 years, Hors D’Age – minimum age 6 years, Extra/XO/Napoleon- minimum 6 years.
Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn — "burnt wine") [1] is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 36%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. While some brandies are aged in wooden casks, most are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging. Brandy can also be made from fermented fruit (i.e., other than grapes) and from pomace.
Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs and the fundamental ingredient: grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). It was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, especially in France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers such as Van Gogh and Lautrec. It is typically green in colour, turning to a cloudy, opalescent milky green (know as the louche) when mixed with water and is historically referred to as ‘The Green Fairy’.
Literally ‘water of life’. This French term signifies brandy , either grape brandy or some other kind, such as a fruit brandy.
Eau de Vie, Marc and Grappa are produced from distilling fermented grape pomace (skins, pulp and pips leftover from pressing grapes for wine production)
Apéritif comes from the Latin ‘aperire’ – to open, hence it has been associated with the drink at the opening of a meal. A good aperitif should stimulate the appetite and prepare the palate for what is to be served. Obviously a wide variety of drinks can be served as aperitifs.
Vermouth is a wine flavoured with herbs and spices, barks and flowers by various methods: infusion, maceration and distillation. It is possibly the oldest form of wine in the world, because Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, made an aromatised wine in the 5th century B.C. Forms of vermouth have been made, for medicinal and digestive purposes, since the earliest records of wine, wherever wine was made. The name comes from that of the wormwood plant, Artemisia, called vermut in German, which was an ingredient of most vermouth recipes.
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