Brandy is a spirit of distilled wine or fermented fruit juice but usually refers to grape juice. Other mash references the fruit that they’ve been made from, such as apple brandy.

Often associated with wealth and luxury, brandy is interesting because of different interpretations of the alcoholic beverage and polarizing legislation about how it’s defined, distilled, traded, and consumed.

The most famed varieties, such as and Cognac and Armagnac have categories for you to learn about when making the decision what to buy. Iterations such as Pisco from South America are now increasingly popular as the global market for quality liquor broadens.

Sure, you can head to your liquor store or online retailer and buy a bottle with ease, however there’s more nuance to brandy and its close brethren than meets the eye. The follow article provides a definitive list of the types of brandy available and offers advice on quality brands for you to make purchases with confidence.

1. Cognac Brandy

In simplest terms, Cognac is a type of white wine brandy that must be produced in the Cognac region of France, while brandy can be made anywhere in the world. Cognac must be distilled twice using copper pot stills and aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of two years.

As one of the most venerable alcohol producing regions in the world, Cognac is famed for its quality distillations and the brandy wine most associated with wealth, class, and sophistication. There are three distinct sub categories of cognac, based on age of distillation.

• VS are aged for 3 or 4 years
• VSOP, aged 5 and 6 years. Very Superior Old and Pale
• XO, aged 6 years plus. Extra Old

Below are a range of quality cognacs that you can try at different price points.

Best Buy

Hennessy VS Cognac

Check Price

Hennessy accounts for nearly 50% of cognac sales worldwide, and it’s easy to see why. Hennessy VS Cognac is versatile enough to appear in a simple spirit drink, cracking old school cocktail, or you can enjoy it over ice.