Whenever I have to talk about brandy or cognac I have the certainty that someone will not be happy with my words. But let's try. We agree that cognac is a type of brandy that is distilled twice and that comes from white grapes which origin is close to the French city with the same name, Cognac. But then what is the brandy? And which type of brandy is brandy Napoleon?

Brandy is nothing but a type of spirit obtained from the distillation of wine (although there are brandy varieties that can include cereal or other fruits besides grapes in the process). It is not true that brandy can only come from outside France as a cognac replacement. In fact there are many French brands of brandy.

When we talk about Cognac, it´s clear that we are referring to a special spirit. It is because of its geographical specificity, which restricts its output to a little place in the world, coincidences of life, it is in France and includes the regions of Charente-Maritime, Charente, Deux-Sevres and the Dordogne, which in turn are divided into six zones:

- Grande Champagne

- Petite Champagne

- Borderies

- Fins Bois

- Bon Bois

- Bois Ordinaire

Brandy and cognac are two spirits, but in addition to the obvious coincidence we find a great controversy between the similarity and its differences. Lets Know a little more of these traditional drinks and their undeniable familiarity and similarity. Read more