Brandy consists of Brandy Rayana.
Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn—fire wine) is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink.
" Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy." – Samuel Johnson
The origins of brandy are unclear, and tied to the development of distillation. Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and Rome and may have a history going back to ancient Babylon. Brandy as it is known today first began to appear in the 12th century and became generally popular in the 14th century.
Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved over the original wine.
There are three primary types of brandy. Grape brandy is the type that is meant if brandy is used by itself.
Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grape juice. There are four main subtypes of grape brandies. Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France, and is double distilled using pot stills. Popular brands include Martell, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Moyet, and Courvoisier (a favourite drink of Napoleon). Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single continuous distilled in a copper stills and is aged in oaken casks from Gascony or Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs are aged more than Cognacs, usually 12-20 years, but up to 30 years. A popular brand is Marquis de Montesquieu. Grape brandies from other countries such as South Africa, Spain, Mexico etc. South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in Cognac, using a double- distillation process in copper pot stills followed by aging in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. American grape brandy is almost always from California, and lighter coloured, but stronger tasting than European brandies.
