A Mythic spirit

Nuance. Depth. Complexity. Tradition. Armagnac, once misunderstood, is now ascendant. Prices are on the rise; category adoption has reached its inflection point.

Armagnac, Explained
Armagnac is France’s oldest distilled spirit. Its first mention—and its mythical "forty virtues"—were recorded in 1310 by Cardinal Vital Dufour, whose treatise on the topic is conserved in the Vatican Library. 
It is a brandy, meaning “burnt wine.”

Where is Armagnac?

Armagnac is tucked away in the province of Gascony in southwest France. There exist three zones for its production: Bas Armagnac, Armagnac Tenarèze and Haut Armagnac.

Each boasts different soils, though all benefit from a temperate climate with an oceanic influence. Hot summers with cool nights encourage thick skins on the grapes, imparting complex flavor to the eau-de-vie.

Production Process

THE GRAPE
Armagnac is made from white grapes. The region’s producers are authorized to use ten different grape varieties—the main examples being Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche, and Colombard, but also including Plant de Grasse, Mauzac Blanc, Meslier St François, Jurançon Blanc, Mauzac Rosé, and Clairette de Gascogne—ensuring that Armagnac is an extremely diverse spirit able to express innumerable different potential flavor profiles.

Production Process

Distillation
Armagnac is distilled on a copper continuous Armagnac alambic (still) that was patented in 1818. It is distilled annually from October to the end of the year. It is a 24-hour process which must be monitored very closely by the distiller. The eau-de-vie, as we call it when it leaves the alambic is completely clear and has an alcohol degree of between 52 – 72.4% abv (114 – 144.8 proof).

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“Why haven’t I heard of Armagnac?”
Accidents of History

Insular Ingenuity

As the Armagnac region is landlocked, its spirits had historically always been very difficult to trade, hindered even more by draconian English laws (1224-1776) that stopped anything other than their own wines traveling on the Garonne and Adour rivers. The Dutch traders circumnavigated this by encouraging producers to distill their wines, as there were no such restrictions for spirits.

A CURIOUS Rebirth

Armagnac was, and still is, made by small, artisanal, family companies of modest means. Hence, in the past they were restricted both geographically and financially in trading their products. As new, dynamic generations have taken over, and both transport and communications advanced exponentially, the notoriety of Armagnac has spread globally.

Armagnac vs Cognac

Of all the brandies on earth, Armagnac’s claim to magic reaches for the profound. It offers a stark contrast to its more polished stepbrother 300 miles to the north, Cognac.

While the production of Cognac is dominated by four industrial size companies, Armagnac continues to be crafted by small family producers using the wood-fired alembic stills of a bygone age. Also compare Cognac's 250 million bottles produced each year (most of which are exported) to Armagnac's 4 million, half of which remain in the French market. 

 Armagnac employs up to ten different grape varieties and undergoes a single distillation, which retains more of the character of the spirit. Compare this to Cognac's double distillation, using only one grape variety (Ugni Blanc).

How to Appreciate Armagnac

NEAT
The preferred way to drink Armagnac is neat in a tulip glass or brandy snifter at room temperature. You can add some water if you like, but not more than a few drops in order to not disturb its balance.

How to Appreciate Armagnac

In a cocktail
A young Armagnac lends itself to use in many classic brandy or even whiskey cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Vieux Carré, Sidecar, Mint Julep, Japanese Cocktail, Brandy Alexander—and the list goes on. As a refreshing long drink, combine it with ginger beer or ale.

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