Armagnac from France

Armagnac, the region of France, has given its name to its distinctive kind of brandy or "eau-de-vie", made of the same grapes as Cognac and undergoing the same aging in oak barrels, but with column still distillation while Cognac is distilled in pot stills. Armagnac production is overseen by a Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac, BNIA.

Armagnac is the only true rival to Cognac for recognition as the finest producer of brandy in the world. Along with Cognac and Jerez in Spain, Armagnac is one of only three officially demarcated brandy regions in Europe.

quantity of production of Armagnac is significantly lower than that of the Cognac region. For every six bottles of Armagnac sold around the world there are one hundred bottles of cognac sold.

Armagnac has been making brandy for around 200 years longer than Cognac.

The production of Armagnac differs in several ways from that of Cognac and it is the oldest eau de vie dating back to the 12th century. Armagnac is only distilled once and at a lower temperature than Cognac, meaning that Armagnac retains more of the fruit character, whereas the second distillation of cognac results in a lower balance. Armagnac are aged for nearly the same period as Cognac, which has a significant impact on the grape once it has been distilled. Armagnac is aged in limousine and local oak casks giving them nice and delicate color, as well as an intricate flavor more complex than that of Cognac.

Armagnac ages in oak barrels which give it its complex flavor and color. Armagnac exists in several ages. The minimum for bottles is 2 years. In the case of assemblies, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest component. A VS armagnac is a mix of several armagnacs of at least 2 years of ageing in wood. For the VSOP, the ageing is at least 5 years, and for XO, at least 6. Richer and more interesting flavors appear from 15 or 20 years of aging, or more. Elder and better armagnacs are dated called vintages, these bottles contain armagnac from one single year.

Ageing in the barrel removes a part of the alcohol by evaporation, known as part des anges, attribute of angels, and allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation, which further improves the flavor of armagnac. When the alcohol part reaches 40% or more, the armagnac is kept in large glass bottles, called Dame Jeanne, for storage. From then on, the armagnac does not age, and can be bottled for sale from the next year on.

As any eau de vie, armagnac is stored vertically to avoid damaging the stopper with alcohol. Once opened, a bottle of armagnac stays drinkable for years.

Aging Requirements for armagnac,

VS, Very Special, is at least 2 years old
VSOP, Very Superior Old Pale, or Reserve is at least 5 years old
XO, Napoleon, Extra, Vieille Reserve is at least 6 years old.
Hors d'age is at least 10 years old