ARMANIAK – THE LESSER-KNOWN BROTHER OF COGNAC, THOUGH EQUALLY NOBLE

France is famous for its Eiffel Tower, croissants and delicious drinks – champagne and cognac being the two most common. Only true connoisseurs of spirits, however, know of another noteworthy spirit. It is cognac’s older brother, Armagnac. What exactly is it? What is the difference between cognac and armagnac? You will find answers to these and other questions in this article.

What is armaniak?

Armaniak is a high-alcohol called viniak, which is a natural vodka produced from grapes. It is created by single distillation of white wine and aging in oak barrels. The name of the drink comes from the region where it is produced – Armagnac in Gascony.

Where is Armagnac produced?

Armagnac is considered a luxury and niche product. The world’s annual production of this distillate is around 10 million bottles. In comparison, one billion bottles of Scotch whisky are produced at the same time. You may wonder at this point why the older brother of cognac is produced in such incomparably smaller quantities? The answer is simple – Armagnac is only produced in three Armagnac sub-regions:

Bas-Armagnac,
Tenareze,
Haut-Armagnac.
All these places are supervised by specially designated organisations – the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac and the Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité, under an appellation issued to Gascony in 1936. The appellation is a set of rules that stipulates (i.e. imposes certain requirements and reservations) the origin and production of Armagnac.

Only 10 varieties of white grapes are allowed to produce this drink, of which only 4 are considered to be the most valuable:

Colombard,
Baco 22A,
Ugni Blanc,
Folle Blanche.

How is Armagnac made?

As we have already mentioned, the appellation issued in 1936 strictly defines the conditions and method of producing marketable Armagnac. In October, white grapes are harvested and subjected to natural fermentation – the juice ferments thanks to the yeast on the skin of the fruit. The resulting wine is quite acidic and contains a small amount of alcohol (around 9%) and a weak aroma. The wine is not meant to be consumed, it undergoes a special continuous column distillation. This means that it is placed in alembics, which are copper cauldrons heated by fire. Interestingly, most of the houses producing the older brother of cognac do not have their own distiller – for the duration of the distillation, it is rented using travelling columns that go around the Gascony region after the harvest.

As much as 9 kilograms of grapes are needed to produce one litre of Armagnac.

Distillation takes about 5 days, after which the spirit obtained contains between 52 and 60% alcohol. Another interesting fact – the date of distillation is predetermined (appellation). It expires at the latest on 31 March of the year following the harvest in October of the previous year.

The next stage is ageing. After distillation, the alcohol is placed in oak barrels. However, these are not just any barrels. The oak for these casks is sourced from local, at least 50-year-old varieties of oak from the Monlezum forest. The trees should be characterised by low moisture content, even on the verge of drying out. The barrels have a capacity of 400 litres.

Age of Armagnac and indications on the labels

After ageing, the different batches are mixed to create unique aroma and flavour compositions. The age of the resulting blend is determined from the youngest batch used. The age of the Armagnac affects its taste, colour, alcohol content (it is said that each year corresponds to a loss of up to 1.5% of alcohol by volume) and price, which is why it is divided into age categories:

VS, Three Stars – at least 1.5 years old,
VO, VSOP, Reserve – not less than 4.5 years,
O., Napoleon, Vieille Reserve – at least 5,5 years,
Horse d’age – not less than 10 years.
Younger vintages are characterised by a lighter colour, stronger taste. Longer aging, on the other hand, gives the drink a richer fragrance composition and makes it darker, as it has more time to “absorb” colour from the oak barrel.

How much does Armaniak cost and how to drink it?

The limited number of bottles in a given year, the traditional way of production in local companies or among private connoisseurs – all this proves the uniqueness of Armaniak and translates into its price, which can vary from around 120 zlotys to even several thousand per bottle. Armaniak is one of the alcohols that are favoured by investors investing their money in rare spirits. We write about it here.

Round cognac glasses should be used to drink Armaniak.

Warm the glass in your hands so that the drink reaches a temperature close to body temperature. The first glass should be consumed “at once” to rinse the mouth, and only the next glasses should be consumed slowly, with small sips, even wetting the mouth. This noble beverage requires a special glass and ritual – but we assure you it is worth it!