In simple words, Brandy is distilled wine. The name is derived from the Dutch word brandewijn meaning burnt wine. Brandy is typically made from grapes but lately other fruits are also widely used. Brandy is by default made of grape unless specified.

Most often had as an after-dinner drink, it has an alcohol content of 40% - 50% alcohol by volume. Based on the main ingredient or flavour used, and where it comes from, brandy can be broadly classified into 3 types:

Grape Brandy:

Made by distilling fermented grape juice (wine).

• American – Mostly from California.

• Armagnac – Being the first spirit to be distilled in France, the drink is made from the grapes of the region of Armagnac in south-west France.

• Brandy de Jerez – Available on its own or used as an additive for sherry, it is a brandy from Jerez.

• Cognac – Almost become a generic term for brandy, it comes from the Cognac region in France.

• Lourinha – Comes from the Estremadura region of western Portugal.

• South African – Made almost like in Cognac.

• Aguardente – Means burning water, as known in countries like Portugal, Mexico, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Cyprus, and Italy.

Pomace Brandy:

Made from the left over pulp, skin, seeds and stems of wine production. It is known by different names in different places.

• Lozovaka (loza) – Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia.

• Zivania – Cyprus.

• Marc – France.

• Chacha – Georgia.

• Tresterbrand – Germany.

• Tsipouro – Greece.

• Torkoly – Hungary.

• Grappa – Italy.

• Grozdova – Bulgaria.

• Aguardente – Portuguese.

• Orujo – Spain.

Fruit Brandy: Also known as Eau – de – Vie.

Various fruits and flavours can be used.

• Calvados – Apple brandy from Lower Normandy region of France.

• Kirshwasser – Made with cherries.

• Palinka – Traditional Hungarian brandy. Made using a variety of fruits like plum (szilva), apricot (barrack), grape (tφrkφly), elderberry (bodza), pear (vilmoskφrte), cherry (cseresznye), and there are the rare ones like apple, peach, and even walnut (dio). Even a mixed fruit palinka known as Vegyes, is popular.

• Slivovitz/Rakia – Conventional to Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonian Republic and Croatia. It is made from plums.

• Slivovice – A plum brandy with a standard of 52% alcoholic strength set by law. Distinctive to places like Slovakia, East Mountains of Czech Republic, and Southern Mountain region of Poland.

• Schnapps/Snaps – Usually good with meals owing to the light bodied structure. Could be German (fruit brandy) or American (liqueur).

• Tuica (tzuika) – Made from either or a combination of fruits like plums, apples, pears, apricots, mulberries, peaches, and quinces. It is a clear brandy from Romania. Also known regionally as turt, tura and hornica.

• Himbeergist – Coming from the region of Alsace, it is a clear mild eau-de-vie made from fermented Raspberry juice.

Liqueurs that use brandy as a base:

• Benedictine • Ratafia • Kajmir • Tuaca • Advocaat • Chambord Liqueur Royale de France • Crθme de violette • Grand Marnier • Pineau de charantes • Hpnotiq • Kruskovac • Lichido • Triple Sec