Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured wit ...

produced in the Armagnac region in

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

, southwest France. It is

distilled Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

from

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts ...

usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the

pot still A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as ...

s used in the production of

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appe ...

, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is then aged in

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...

s before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin

distilling Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heatin ...

spirits, but the overall volume of production is far smaller than cognac production and therefore is less known outside Europe. In addition, it is for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas cognac production is dominated by big-name brands, especially

Courvoisier Courvoisier () is a brand of cognac, with production based in the town of Jarnac in the Charente region of France. It is the youngest and smallest of the "big four" cognac houses (the others are Hennessy, Rémy Martin, and Martell). Courvo ...

(owned by

Beam Suntory Beam Suntory, Inc. is an American-founded, Japanese multinational company that produces alcoholic beverages. It is a subsidiary of Suntory, based in Osaka, Japan. It is the third largest producer of distilled beverages worldwide, behind Diage ...

), Hennessy (

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion hous ...

), Martell ( Pernod Ricard), and

Rémy Martin Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the commune of Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with Henn ...

(

Rémy Cointreau Rémy Cointreau is a French, family-owned business group whose origins date back to 1724. The group has an international portfolio of spirits (cognac, liqueurs and spirits): Rémy Martin and Louis XIII cognacs, Cointreau liqueur, METAXA Greek spi ...

History and cultural uses

Armagnac is the oldest brandy (and liquor) recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310,

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be low ...

Vital du Four Vital du Four (Bazas, 1260-Avignon, 1327) was a French Franciscan theologian and scholastic philosopher, and prior of Eauze. He became Cardinal in 1312 and bishop of Albano in 1321. Works * ''Quaestiones disputate de rerum principio'', wrongly ...

, a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

, wrote of its 40 virtues. Vital du Four was born in

Bazas Bazas (; oc-gsc, Vasats) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. Geography Bazas stands on a narrow promontory above the Beuve valley 60 km/37 mi southeast of Bordeaux and 40 km/25 mi southwest of ...

, in the centre of Armagnac, and was prior of

Eauze Eauze (; Gascon: ''Eusa'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. History Located in the heart of south-west France, 130 kilometers from the Spanish border, Eauze is originally a proto-Basque city that became Roman. It was ...

, today the location of the BNIA. However, there is no evidence that he ever visited Eauze, much less that he was writing specifically about distilled

eau de vie An ''eau de vie'' ( French for spirit, §16, §17 literally " water of life") is a clear, colourless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. In English-speak ...

from Armagnac. In the past it was consumed as other liquors for its therapeutic benefits. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the markets of

Saint-Sever Saint-Sever (, Gascon ''Sent Sever'' ) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. History and geography Saint-Sever stands on an eminence. It is south of Mont-de-Marsan, on the left bank of the A ...

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the '' Constantin Roza ...

, and

Aire-sur-l'Adour Aire-sur-l'Adour (; oc, Aira d'Ador or simply ) is a commune in the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Adour in the wine area of southwest France. It is an episcopal see of the Diocese of Aire an ...

. Subsequently, Dutch merchants began promoting the trade more widely and providing or financing alembics. The first record of Armagnac distillation comes only in 1646, with the purchase of an alembic. In the following century, Armagnac was served in the palace of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

and by 1800, most of the Armagnac region was dedicated to the production of the brandy. In 1818, a patent for a continuous distillation alembic led to the main difference between Armagnac and Cognac, which is double distilled in batches. The French gourmet dish ortolan has traditionally been prepared by force-feeding an ortolan bunting before drowning it in Armagnac and roasting it. The dish is now legally prohibited due to laws protecting the bird.

Geography

The Armagnac region lies between the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. ...

and

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

rivers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The region was granted '' Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) status in 1936. The official production area is divided into three districts that lie in the ''departements'' of

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

, Landes, and

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Bas-Armagnac, responsible for about 62% of production * Armagnac-Ténarèze, accounting for 37% * Haut-Armagnac, a tiny area producing about 1% of all Armagnac Each of these areas is controlled by separate AOC regulations. The newest appellation ''Blanche d'Armagnac'' ('white Armagnac') was established to allow the production and export of clear, unaged brandies.

Production

Armagnac is traditionally distilled once, resulting in alcohol content between 52% and 60%. The result is a more fragrant and flavorful spirit than cognac, where double distillation takes place. Long aging in oak barrels softens the taste and causes the development of more complex flavours and a brown colour. Ageing in the

removes a part of the alcohol and water by evaporation (known as ''part des anges''—"angels' tribute" or " angels' share") and allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation, which further modifies the flavour. Since alcohol evaporates faster than water, the alcohol degree is naturally reduced by an average of 0.4% per year depending on the characteristics of the cellars (average temperature and humidity). When the Armagnac is considered as matured, it is transferred to large glass bottles (called " Dame Jeanne") for storage. The main difference between Armagnac and other spirits is that, due to its relatively low alcoholic content, it is generally not diluted with water. Armagnac is sold under several classifications, mostly referring to the age of the constituent brandies. Armagnac is allowed to be sold under vintages. When Armagnacs of different ages have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest component. A three-star, or ''VS'', Armagnac is a mix of several Armagnacs that have seen at least one year of ageing in wood. For ''VSOP'' the ageing is at least four years, and for ''XO'' and ''Hors d'âge'' ten years. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on the bottle, aged of a minimum of 10 years. Vintages flavour and appearance change depending on factors including the grape, ageing time, barrel used for ageing, grape variety, weather that year, storage location and more. The Armagnac region produces 3 million bottles a year of brandy, compared to the 220 million produced in Cognac. However, the French drink only 4 million bottles of Cognac compared to 1.5 million of Armagnac.

Grapes

Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the production of Armagnac. Of these, four are most common: * Baco blanc * Colombard * Folle blanche * Ugni blanc

References

External links

Cognac and Armagnac
��The official website of France (in English)
Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armagnac (Drink) French distilled drinks Brandies