Brandy

Brandy is a distilled spirit made from wine or fermented fruit juice, typically amber to mahogany in color. It shows warm, dried-fruit aromas with vanilla and oak notes and a smooth, gently sweet finish. Common at 40% ABV, it flambe desserts, deglazes pans for sauces, and anchors stirred cocktails; sold in VS, VSOP, and XO age designations, with some clear fruit eaux-de-vie bottled unaged.\n\nDistilling wine into brandy developed in Europe, especially France, Spain, and Portugal, and spread globally through trade. Cognac and Armagnac became benchmarks, and producers now make grape and fruit brandies worldwide, often aging them in oak.