What is Armagnac? Exploring Cognac’s Older Cousin

How Armagnac is Made

“Essentially, Cognac is more like Tequila, and Armagnac is more like mezcal in the way it’s produced,” says Nicolas Palazzi, owner of importer and distributor, PM Spirits, “but not in flavor [although it can occasionally share similar notes with the agave spirit].” Armagnac is a bit more artisanal in nature, and every producer creates a product to their own proof and style making it a fan favorite for spirit nerds.

Armagnac is allowed to use 10 grape varieties in production, but typically only use four: Ugni blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche, and Colombard; whereas in Cognac they use around 99% Ugni blanc. More variety in the raw material allows for Armagnac to express a diversity in flavor that Cognac cannot. When you also consider the terroir — the soil, climate, and hand of the maker — Armagnac truly distinguishes itself in character.

“There is something really interesting in picking grapes and making a product that has a true personality and seeing that product at a stage where it hasn’t become a very popular spirit [like Cognac] that has been modified to try to appeal to the general public,” says Palazzi. “Armagnac is very terroir-driven, it feels like you can connect with the history of the land and its rich history.”

In terms of distillation, 95% of Armagnac production is distilled with an alembic column still, whereas Cognac has to be pot-distilled, Palazzi notes. “Some are using pot still as well,” he says, although it’s a rarity.

After being distilled, the liquid is typically aged in 400-liter French oak casks — typically local, Gascony oak — and is then classified as VS, VSOP, Napoleón, or XO (Hors d’âge), depending on how long it has been aged for, with XO being the oldest age statement meaning the distillate has seen a minimum of 10 years in the cask. It’s also common for Armagnac producers to release vintages, like wine, but this will be more of a rarity as the category continues to rise in popularity.

After aging, the Armagnac is either bottled at cask strength, or proofed down. “The reason why Cognac is typically 40% ABV is to stretch out the amount they’re able to produce because of the demand,” Palazzi notes. “In Armagnac, you’ll find more full-proof bottling because they aren’t under the pressure of hitting numbers so they can focus on creating the best product possible [regardless of proof].” This means that each bottle will have its own distinct character, which isn’t always the case with other brandies.

Some producers to note are: Domaine Boignères, Château de Pellehaut, Domaine Espérance, Domaine d’Aurensan, but there are many others creating exceptional brandies as well in the region.

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Cobrafire Eau-de-Vie de Raisin

An unaged blanche (white) Armagnac produced in the Bas Armagnac sub-appellation. It’s an undiluted, unadulterated expression of exactly what a French brandy should taste like. At 51.5% ABV, it’s also begging to make it into your next Martini.

PM Spirits VS Bas Armagnac Overproof

Importer PM Spirits teamed up with renown production house, Domaine Espérance, to release their own label of VS overproof (51.7% ABV) Armagnac. For the price you’ll pay, it’s an absolute steal and must-try.

How Craft Brands Can Succeed in the Covid-19 Era

Craft brands have been in the spotlight across wine, beer, and spirits in recent years, with products from small producers becoming increasingly sought after over mass-marketed products. Consumers are seeking out fresh discoveries, and are increasingly prioritizing the production methods, ingredients, and stories behind craft beverages.

But the onset of Covid-19 has presented a new challenge: While consumers are increasing their home consumption and retail alcohol sales are up, most craft wine and spirits brands have not benefited. As much of the on-premise sector remains shuttered and many consumers turn to e-commerce to limit in-store purchasing, there is no salesperson or sommelier to champion small brands or encourage the consumer to try something new.

ACQUIRING NEW RETAIL PLACEMENTS

While stay-home mandates and on-premise closures have resulted in retail sales spikes — as of June 13, off-premise sales were up 26 percent year-over-year for the entire Covid-affected time period — retailers are still working to manage this unexpected business shift.

“They’re still in survival mode,” says Nicolas Palazzi, the owner of PM Spirits in New York, an importer and distributor specializing in artisanal spirits brands. “They have no energy or time to do any outreach or take sales calls. They’re reacting to demand, and that demand is for mainstream brands because that’s what people know.” In the first six to eight weeks of the pandemic, most of Palazzi’s sales through existing retail accounts were for inexpensive items.

Ten Outstanding Cognacs That You Have Probably Never Heard Of

Cognac is one of the world’s great spirits. Its history dates back almost four centuries. Its presence in the U.S. goes back almost as long. It has been intimately intertwined with American history. George Washington was a fan. He drank it in his camp during the Revolutionary War and served it to his guests at the first Presidential Inauguration.

Cognac was the basis of most cocktails in the U.S. long before bourbon became the quintessential American spirit. Cherry Bounce and Fish House Punch, two popular drinks during colonial times, both featured Cognac. The original recipe for that classic American drink, the mint julep, was also Cognac based. The bourbon version did not appear till the late 19th century. The first American book of cocktail recipes The Bartender's Guide, by Jerry Thomas in 1862, mostly featured Cognac based drinks…

…France has hundreds of Cognac producers. The four largest producers, however, account for 90% of the U.S. market—Courvoisier (Beam Suntory), Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pernod Ricard) and Rémy Martin (Rémy Cointreau).

Most Cognac producers do not export to the U.S. market. Bottling Cognac to meet U.S. bottling requirements, 750 ml versus 700 ml bottles, is expensive and burdensome. Finding a U.S. distributor is difficult, especially given the relatively small volumes that they produce. That’s a pity, because most Cognac enthusiasts have little opportunity to taste the wide range of Cognacs produced in France.

Recently, I asked Max von Olfers for his recommendations of outstanding Cognacs that are relatively unknown in the U.S. Max, along with his sister Sophie, runs Cognac-Expert.com, a Cognac based mail order supplier of Cognac to consumers worldwide. The website features more than 1,000 Cognac expressions, that’s easily 10 times more than even the best stocked U.S. retailer would carry.

Below are 10 recommendations from Max, plus a couple of my own, of outstanding Cognacs. They range from relatively common, at least in Cognac, to quite rare. Price wise they range from under $100 to over $5,000 a bottle. All bottles are 700 ml. Max’s comments are below (in italics), followed by my comments.

Navarre Cravache d’Or - $110
Cognac Navarre Cravache D'Or

Cognac Navarre Cravache D'Or

I love this cask strength Cognac. Non-chill filtered, not colored or boiséd. No water is used during the aging process, and all the grapes are hand-harvested—this is the ultimate in artisan production. This Cognac explodes with aroma and has an evolving floral palate that’s so typical of a Grande Champagne eau-de-vie, 45% ABV, 90° proof/cask strength.

Boisé is a syrup produced from a mixture of Cognac, sugar and wood chips. It’s made by macerating, and sometimes boiling, oak chips with lower-proof spirit. The process extracts color from the oak chips and when sugar is added produces a concentrated syrup. When added to young Cognacs, it can make the spirit look and taste older than it is. The addition of boisé to Cognac is quite common among producers and is permitted by the regulatory body, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC). 

10 Recommended Bottles - From Absinthe to Sambuca, a Quick Guide to Anise Spirits

From Absinthe to Sambuca, a Quick Guide to Anise Spirits

The category of anise spirits is broad reaching. It encompasses a number of spirits types that deserve attention, but don’t always receive it.

For starters, sambuca and anisette are two spirits that seem interchangeable, yet are not. Since Italian producer Meletti makes both, we asked producer Matteo Meletti to briefly outline the differences, which basically boils down to production and regulation.

Sambuca is regulated by the European Union, while anisette is not. “So when a company produces sambuca, it has to follow some strict rules, while anisette is more open recipe,” says Meletti. This may have to do with the fact that anisette is a much older product, dating back to the 18th century, while Sambuca is more recent.

Larusée Verte Green Absinthe (Switzerland; PM Spirits, Brooklyn, NY); $127, 89 points. Pours out olive drab, then slouches to a lively light green. The aroma entices with a sweet floral note, while the palate is bolder, reverberating with anise overload and a tingly finish. Hit the right water-to-liqueur balance and the flavor profile becomes a bit more delicate and refreshing, tinged with fresh celery. Made with a neutral beet spirit base blended with a dozen herbs and aromatic plants.

The 11 Best Mezcal Brands You Need To Try

Tequila and mezcal. What's the difference, right?

Quite a bit. Both tequila and mezcal do come from the agave plant, and both are indigenous liquors to Mexico. But the comparison stops there.

NETA Espadin 

What's cool about NETA is that they work with small producers from Mihuatlan, Oaxaca, and the southern valley. For this particular Espadin (arguably the most "common" mezcal), they worked with master mezcalero Candido Garcia Cruz, who works with "quiotudo," meaning he cuts each plant before it flowers.

"This leads to better yields and develops a richness of flavor that is not found in less mature agave," said Jimenez. "It has a brassy, bright nose with a hint of fruit and flowers with a gentle touch of smoke."

L'ENCANTADA XO ARMAGNAC

L'ENCANTADA XO ARMAGNAC  - a collaboration between PM Spirits and armagnac cask hunters L’Encantada, this blended spirit is one of the most complex brandies in the world. The release is comprised of four different casks curated by L’Encantada with vintages ranging between 1987 - 1997. Each one was produced by distillers who create in the heart of their fields with a mobile alambic armagnacais still before the spirit matures in oak in Gascony. Only 1,600 bottles are available at a cask strength of 46.8% Abv.