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Armagnac 
Armagnac is only 128km from Cognac; however when you talk about taste the distance grows. Cognac is the home of big corporate brandy, Hennessy, Martell, Remy martin they are smooth, dry Sophisticated Brandies, Armagnac is made up of small more Boutique distilleries making rich, pungent, earthy Brandies. 
As a Mixologist Armagnac has a much simpler less complex flavour than Cognac, it is also far cheaper. Brandy is such a wonderful base for cocktails that is under appreciated; it matches perfectly so many liqueurs commonly used in Cocktails that are themselves created with a brandy base. It is my feeling that with the growing global popularity of using premium products in cocktails, Armagnac may soon find itself being reborn as a popular Base spirit in Cocktails. 
Armagnac is the world's second most popular Brandy region behind Cognac, it is Cognac older brother. Armagnac is inland from Bordeaux. It is that change in climate that gives it unique character. The Production levels of Armagnac are far less than Cognac this is due to it being far less popular than the brandy of Cognac. The Armagnac region lays between 2 rivers the Adour and the Garonne, in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. The region 160 square km of grape producing vines. Armagnac is produced in the southwest of France; being further inland the climate is not maritime like Cognac, with warmer summers. Distillation of Armagnac started over a century before Cognac; this is because it came to this region of France via the Spanish who had been introduced to the technique by Arab alchemists. The road to France is via the Pyrenees Mountains which neighbour Armagnac. To first documented evidence to distillation in Armagnac is in 1411. Armagnac has its own official controlling body, The Appellation Controlee (AC ). It has 3 unique regions, the most significant is Bas Armagnac, and the other 2 Tenareze and Haut Armagnac are less significant. 
Bas Armagnac is the most significant region for Armagnac production, the soil is sandier, and The Armagnac is fuller in body with aromas of plums and prunes. This region has the lowest altitude of Armagnac 3 regions. Armagnac from the Bas region is considered to have the most finesse, also tending to yield spirits that are very supple in their youth. Grapes are mostly Bacco and Ugni Blanc. The North western section known as the Grand Bas Armagnac has a concentration of quality Armagnac producers. Armagnac Tenareze in the centre is a transitional zone consisting of undulating slopes with heavy clay soils mixed with chalky sandstone that gives an acidic wine and generally yields full flavoured, heavily scented Armagnac, it is mainly Boutique independent Armagnac producers in this region, the main grapes of this region are Ugni Blanc and Colombard. This region is most famous for its wines that include Cotes de Gascogne wines Haut Armagnac to the south east is the largest area but offers the poorest quality most of the Armagnac in this area is used in making Liqueur. The main grapes used in Armagnac are Folle Blanche also called Piquepoul is a highly acidic white grape, the best Armagnac are made using Folle Blanche as it provides a lighter body and great elegance. Folle Blanche is a very low yield grape today only making up 3% of the Vineyards in Armagnac, Its replacement is the higher yield Ugni Blanc now making up over half of the used grapes in Armagnac, it has Floral, spicy yet neutral Character, Colombard has a very minimal effect on the flavour and Bacco 22 a hybrid Folle Blanche and Vitis labrusca produces full bodied Armagnac with plenty of fat and volume. There are 6 other varieties of grape grown and used in the production of Armagnac these are Blanquette Mauzac, Clairette, Jurancon Blanc, Plainte de Greece and Meslier St. Francis. 
Armagnac is distilled only once in a column still, compared to twice in a pot still by Cognac. Column stills tend to remove more flavour than Pot stills, leading to the simpler less complex taste of Armagnac. In 1972 Pot stills where first permitted in Armagnac however the best Armagnac is made from the traditional Column stills. Armagnac is only distilled to 55-60% compared to cognac 70%; this is because of being only distilled once. Most Armagnac is blended, Armagnac matures quickly and has lower age requirements than cognac, and they are: 3-star minimum 1 year old VSOP minimum 4 years old XO minimum 5 years old. 
Armagnac blends tend to be mellower than cognac. Armagnac is traditionally ageing in black oak of Monlezun, but as it becomes increasingly rare Limousin Oak used in Cognac and Troncais casks are now being used. Single year vintages are also available; some actually date as far back as the 19th century, Armagnac in moderate consumption can help in aliments such as heart disease and obesity; this is due to the distillation process and aging. The region of Armagnac has some of the lowest cardiovascular disease rates in the world. 
any of the cheaper cognac's lack inspiration in character, most Armagnac unique, it cannot match the premium Cognac's however when Brandy comes back into vogue, It may be a new region leading the way to the common man.  |
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