The Most Wished For Brandies

This Acholado (or blend) pisco is comprised of four grapes: italia, muscatel, quebranta, and negra criolla. All of the grapes, with the exception of the negra criolla, are aromatic grapes, which is exactly what they sound like: grapes which provide a fragrant aroma, particularly with floral and fruity notes.

This Vintage Armagnac was distilled from fruit from the 1993 harvest on the Tariquet estate's vineyards. The grapes used were ugni blanc and Baco. It was aged 17 years (bottled in Feb 2010) in French oak barrels ranging in size from 218-400 Liters.

Château du Tariquet is a family-owned estate which produces Armagnac from their vineyards located in the Bas-Armagnac in Éauze, France. This bottling uses 60% ugni blanc and 40% Baco grapes for distillation. Their VSOP is aged a minimum of 7 years in French oak barrels and is all-natural color.

The grapes used in the production of Tariquet Armagnacs are all estate-grown. In this case, 60% of the grapes used were ugni blanc with the remaining 40% comprised of baco. After fermentation, the wine is then distilled in a wood-fueled alembic still, the ugni blanc wine fermented and distilled separately from the baco. Though the minimum age for XO is 10 years as of April 2018, the youngest Armagnac in this bottling is 15 years old.

Nobel is an extra-aged pisco expression from the Mistral distillery located in the Elqui Valley of Chile. It is aged in new American oak barrels and is named in honor of Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

In addition to strict production regulations, Peruvian piscos are further categorized into aromatic or non-aromatic as well as puro (pure) or acholado (blend). This is a puro pisco meaning that this is the product of only one grape. In this case, it is the moscatel grape which is an aromatic grape. As of early 2016, this is now available in the US after only being sold in Peru.

Singani is a spirit that has been produced since 1530. It has its own DO (denomination of origin) and GI (geographical indication) and can only be produced in the Bolivian Andes. The grapes (of which only muscat of Alexandria can be used) must be planted at a minimum of 5250 feet (1600 meters). As Singani is not recognized as its own spirit category in most of the world, it can only be described as a brandy, but it is better to think of it as an eau-de-vie. This Singani is the first to be available in the United States and for that you can thank director, Steven Soderbergh and his blood, sweat, and tears (and money).

Laird's Old Apple Brandy is a straight apple brandy aged for 7 1/2 years in charred oak barrels after distillation in a combination pot/column still. It is bottled at 40% ABV. It takes 16 pounds of apples to produce one bottle of this brandy.

Clear Creek Douglas Fir Brandy is a seasonal product created by harvesting green buds from Douglas fir trees (also known as Oregon pine or Douglas spruce). These buds are then dropped into clear brandy and allowed to macerate. This now green brandy is re-distilled, but though this process will flavor the brandy, it will also become clear. More buds are collected and added and the maceration is repeated; the buds are removed a few weeks later. A touch of pear brandy is added before bottling. Sold in 375ml sized bottles.

Dating back to 1724, Rémy Martin has a long and storied history in Cognac. This marque, 1738 Royal Accord, pays tribute to one of Rémy Martin's earliest accolades when the French King Louis XV bestowed a reward of excellence on the distillery. A blend of various eaux-de-vie, this Fine Champagne Cognac is a step up from Rémy's flagship VSOP.