The world of brandy is vast, spanning crystal-clear eaux-de-vie and amber-hued digestifs. Within this wide-ranging landscape lie three fruit brandies from France: Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados. Each is a distinct spirit with its own base ingredients, area of origin, production practices, and naming conventions.
Here’s a guide to understanding the nuances of Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados.
COGNAC VS. ARMAGNAC VS. CALVADOS FAST FACTS
• Calvados is made from apples and sometimes pears, while Armagnac and Cognac are grape-based.
• Cognac shares its name with the southwestern region of France where it’s made; Armagnac is from nearby Gascony; and Calvados must be made in Normandy, in northwestern France.
• Each brandy must age in oak barrels for at least two years before it is bottled.
• Cognac must undergo double distillation in a copper pot still, while Armagnac typically undergoes single distillation in a special column still. Depending on its appellation, Calvados may be distilled once or twice.
• Each has a minimum ABV of 40%, though Armagnac often has a higher ABV of around 45–48%.
What Is Cognac?
Cognac is a grape-based brandy that shares its name with the region of southwestern France where it’s made. Like Calvados and Armagnac, it’s a geographically protected spirit with a long history. Many trace its origins to the 16th century, and credit a former French military officer, Chevalier de la Croix-Marron, with fine-tuning its double distillation process in 1610. Cognac received an appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) in 1938.
Cognac must be made from ugni blanc (the most common), folle blanc, colombard, or other grapes grown within the six crus, or appellations, of its namesake region. These grapes are fermented into a low-proof wine—typically 9% ABV or less—and distilled twice in copper pot stills. From there, the eau-de-vie ages in Limousin or Tronçais oak barrels for at least two years. Most Cognacs are blended from different barrels, but like Calvados and Armagnac, they can also come in vintages (a blend of barrels from the same harvest year).
Everything You Need to Know About Cognac
To determine how long a particular Cognac bottling was aged, look for certain initials on the label. VS means it spends at least two years in oak; VSOP Cognac ages for four or more years; XO ages for at least 10 years; and XXO Cognacs spend 14 years or more in oak.
Most older Cognacs are sipped neat, while younger bottlings feature in all sorts of classic cocktails, including the Sidecar, Vieux Carré, and the criminally underrated Between the Sheets.
COGNAC FAST FACTS
• Made from white wine grapes, most commonly ugni blanc
• Produced in the Cognac region of France
• Distilled twice in a copper pot still
• Ages in Limousin or Tronçais oak barrels for at least two years, though many age for much longer
• Majority of Cognacs are blends, but some producers make vintages (a blend of eaux-de-vie from the same harvest year)
What Is Armagnac?
Armagnac is a grape brandy that hails from three geographically protected regions of Gascony in southwestern France. Its history links some 700 years of Roman, Arabic, and Celtic traditions, and some believe it’s France’s oldest type of eau-de-vie or fruit brandy.
In 1936, Armagnac became an AOC product in France, so governmental decrees now determine where it can be made and how. To qualify as Armagnac, the brandy must come from the Bas-Armagnac, Armagnac-Ténarèze, or Haut-Armagnac regions of Gascony. There are 10 grape varieties permitted to make Armagnac, the most common of which are ugni blanc, baco blanc, folle blanche, and colombard.
Production is similarly regulated. Grapes must be vinified, or transformed into wine, without sulfur and rested on their lees (residual yeast) in the fermentation vessel before they’re distilled. The vast majority of Armagnac is distilled once in a specific continuous still called an alambic Armagnacais. Distillation must occur by March 31 of the year following the grapes’ harvest.
After distillation, the clear spirit is aged in 400-liter new oak barrels anywhere from six months to two years, after which it’s transferred to neutral oak barrels for continued aging. Labeling conventions to indicate age use much of the same terminology as Cognac and Calvados, though the durations differ. VS (“Very Special”) Armagnac spends at least one year in oak; VSOP (“Very Special Old Pale”) ages for at least four years in oak; Napoleon or XO is oak-aged for six years minimum; and the spirit used to make hors d’age Armagnac is at least 10 years old. Worth noting, Armagnac generally ages for a longer period of time than Cognac.
Armagnac can also be categorized based on grape origins. Spirits made with grapes grown across the three designated regions are sometimes referred to as “simple” Armagnac. If there’s a year on the label of a single-vineyard Armagnac, however, that means all the grapes were grown in one plot of land, and the spirit was aged for at least 10 years before it was bottled.
Usually, Armagnac is served neat, at room temperature as an after-dinner drink. Clear Armagnac, also called blanche armagnac, might be chilled or poured over ice. In French-influenced kitchens, Armagnac is sometimes used as an ingredient in sauces, to flambé, or poured over ice cream.
ARMAGNAC FAST FACTS
• Made from white wine grapes, most commonly ugni blanc, baco blanc, folle blanche, and colombard
• Produced in the Gascony region of France
• Most often distilled once in a special column still called an alambic Armagnacais
• Armagnac must rest on its lees (or interact with the residual yeast in a fermentation vessel) before it’s distilled, and the fruit must have been recently harvested.
• Ages in French oak for at least two years, though many age for much longer
• Comes in blends and vintages
• Often has a higher ABV than Calvados and Cognac, around 45–48%
What Is Calvados?
Calvados is an apple (and sometimes pear)-based brandy from Normandy, a region in northern France. Its legacy dates to at least the 1790s, when historians believe the term Calvados was first used, though records date cider distillation in Normandy to 1553.
As with Champagne, the spirit is AOC-protected, meaning the French government regulates what can and cannot be labeled Calvados. Qualifying spirits start with apples and pears grown exclusively in designated areas of Normandy. The fruit is fermented into a dry cider, then distilled into a clear spirit in pot or column stills. Finally, Calvados spends at least two years in French oak barrels before it’s bottled. During that time, it develops a darker hue and rich flavors. Before bottling, different barrels are usually blended to ensure a harmonious product, but producers also make vintage Calvados with a blend of barrels from the same harvest year.
If you’re in a bottle shop staring at a shelf of Calvados and wondering how long each one was aged, look for certain words on the labels, which will indicate the year of the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. “Fine” or “VS” means the spirit spent at least two years in oak before it was bottled. After four years in oak, Calvados can be labeled VO or Vielle Reserve, which stand for “very old” and “old reserve,” respectively. Those aged for six or more years might be called XO, which roughly translates to “extra old”; Tres Vieux, or “very old”; or Napoléon.
Calvados also has three distinct appellations based on geography and production methods. Calvados AOC is the generic appellation and allows for either a column or pot still for distillation; Pays d’Auges denotes Calvados that was double-distilled in a copper pot still, resulting in a richer and rounder flavor profile; and Domfrontais is known for the high percentage of pears, usually around 60%, in the eau-de-vie.
Calvados is increasingly easy to find in the U.S. According to the Interprofession des Appellations Cidricoles (IDAC), a cider trade organization, exports to the U.S. grew 70% in 2021 and again in 2022.
Serve Calvados at room temperature in a tulip-shaped glass, as an after-dinner drink, or as a trou normand, a traditional palate cleanser between courses. Or treat it like many American bartenders do and mix it into cocktails like the Calvados Sidecar or bubbly Forbidden Apple.
CALVADOS FAST FACTS
• Made from cider apples and sometimes pears
• Produced in the Normandy region of France
• Can be distilled using a column still or a pot still depending on the appellation
• Ages in French oak for at least two years, though many age for much longer
• Comes in blends and vintages
