Best Brandy Brands: 21 Must-Try Bottles of Cognac, Armagnac, and More to Drink Now

The best brandy brands probably don't come to mind as easily as the best whiskey, tequila, and vodka. Or even gin and rum for the matter. But there was once a time when brandy was the star spirit and we're here to tell you why you should be drinking brandy in modern day.

Technically the oldest documented spirit to be distilled, brandy alcohol is an incredibly widespread category, with different iterations found across the globe. The main hallmark of brandy liquor is that its core component is fruit-based. In countries like France and Italy, brandy is most often created from grapes, but you can also find versions of brandy made from apples, pears, and more.

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If you’re new to brandy alcohol, our Best Overall pick is Argonaut Fat Thumb Brandy. This California-made, 86-proof blend of alembic and Coffey still brandies is complex and known for its flavors of caramel apples, rich oak, coconut, and toasted vanilla beans. It's lightly spiced and mellow, making it easy to drink.

Read on to learn what is brandy (including its many varieties), our favorite brandy brands and the best brandy bottles, how to make classic brandy cocktails, and the best glassware to enhance your brandy tasting experience.

What Is Brandy

Brandy is made from distilled wine or a fermented fruit mash, which is then aged in oak barrels, says David Warter, vice president of Winemaking and Distillation at E&J Gallo Winery, which makes Argonaut and Germain-Robin brandy.

Brandy's hallmark amber color typically comes from the aging process, and it's about 50 percent alcohol by volume. Because most brandies are a blend of several different barrels, harvests, and grape varieties together, it's incredibly complex and nuanced.

“Wine is the most flavorful raw material of all spirit production," Warter says. "This flavor carries through to the final product, which has long been cherished for its versatility. We're looking to transform the perception of brandy, challenging the notion that it's solely an after-dinner indulgence for an older demographic.”

Related: 25 Best Red Wines to Drink This Thanksgiving: Sommelier Picks

Types of Brandy

Just as whiskey is used as a catch-all umbrella term for bourbon, rye, and Scotch, brandy is an upper funnel wherein the likes of Cognac, Armagnac, pisco, Calvados, grappa, and more types of brandy fall into. There are technically over a dozen different varieties that can be categorized under the label of brandy. The two best-known types are Cognac and Armagnac, which are both produced in France, but there are numerous others worth paying attention to (and adding to your bar cart).

Cognac vs Brandy

The most popular type of brandy alcohol, Cognac is an aged, grape-based brandy that's smooth and rich thanks to a laborious and time-intensive process guarded by several legal parameters—from the grapes that distillers are able to use (mainly ugni blanc) to various aging and blending restrictions.

“Cognac must be produced in the Cognac region of France," says Eric Forget, cellar master at HINE, one of the oldest leading brandy brands. "This region is a controlled designation of origin, or AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée), with specific rules and regulations regulating the quality of all styles of Cognac.”

Cognac has two highly desirable districts that are known as premier crus (read: first growth): Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. These zones have superior terroir among the vineyard.

"Limestone-rich soil coupled with cool oceanic climate delivers the finest, most delicate wine, which, when distilled, gives way to a beautifully floral, elegant, rich, and smooth Cognac—a brandy liquor style that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world,” Forget says.

Moreover, Cognac is required to be labeled according to the period of time the youngest brandy in a blend has spent aging in oak. Those labels fall into three main categories:

1. VS (Very Special): This indicates the youngest brandy in the blend has been stored in a cask for at least two years.

2. VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale or Very Special Old Pale): This shows the blend's youngest brandy has been stored for at least four years.

3. XO (Extra Old): The youngest brandy has been aged for at least 10 years. Note: XO can fetch a hefty price tag that reaches anywhere from over $100 to over $1,000.

Armagnac vs Cognac

The oldest type of brandy alcohol in existence, the history of Armagnac dates all the way back to Roman times. Now, it’s produced in a landlocked region of France located south of Cognac. While Cognac is its closest relative, there are still unique aspects of Armagnac that distinctly make it a connoisseur’s beverage. First of all, it can be made with a wider variety of grapes (though most modern Armagnac is produced with ugni blanc), and it's produced using small continuous stills before resting in oak. The final product has a slightly higher ABV than Cognac and a more textured mouthfeel. What’s more, Armagnac is given a vintage date, unlike Cognac, which is usually a blend.

Fruit Brandy

Distilled from any fruit-based mash, wine-based brandies such as California brandy are categorized as either regular or “pomace,” meaning it’s distilled from the skins and peels of grapes, as well as the juice, giving the finished product a different mouthfeel and earthier taste. You can also find tons of examples of brandies distilled from fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, and even blackberries. Sometimes labeled as eaux-de-vie, French for “waters of life,” these variations are generally not aged.

Apple Brandy and Applejack

Apple brandy, both unaged and barrel-aged, is made around the world by distilling the juice or pulp of apples. However, it can go by several titles based on where in the world it’s being distilled and under what guidelines, such as applejack in the U.S. and Calvados in France.

A true American spirit, applejack is widely considered the country’s first iteration of moonshine. The original product was created by American colonists using a rough and ready technique called “jacking,” or freezing fermented apple cider, then skimming the ice off until what was left was around a 40-proof product. Today, there are dozens of craft distilleries in the Northeast that specialize in applejack, often aging it in bourbon barrels to deepen the flavor and add more toasted vanilla and spice notes.

Calvados

A smooth aged brandy liquor with strong apple characteristics, Calvados is exclusively produced in the Normandy region of France, thanks to its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status. Producers of Calvados can use four “types” of apples: sweet, bittersweet, bitter, and bittersharp. Each type brings its own flavor and complexity to the mix. Sometimes perry pears are added to the blend. The fruit is then pressed, fermented, and distilled into an eau-de-vie, which must be aged for at least two years in oak. For those just getting into the world of brandies—Calvados can be an approachable gateway, thanks to its strong and recognizable apple flavors.

Pisco

The national spirit of both Peru and Chile, pisco is technically an unaged brandy—similar to an eau-de-vie. Pisco has a Denomination of Origin (DOI), meaning it can only be made in five coastal valley regions in Peru, or within one of five regions in Chile. The grape-based spirit also falls into three categories: puro, a single-grape varietal; acholago, a varietal blend; and mosto verde, made from musts that haven’t fully fermented (it tends to be lower ABV and more aromatic).

Peruvian pisco must rest for a minimum of three months in a non-reactive container (so, made from a material such as stainless steel, which does not impart a flavor of its own), and never carries an age statement. Meanwhile, Chilean pisco can be aged in oak, and can be distilled multiple times. Pisco is generally delicate and floral in flavor and can be sipped neat or used in cocktails.

Grappa

Originally crafted to reduce waste in the winemaking process, grappa is made of fermented pomace. All the leftover grapes, skins, seeds, and stems are added to a still with water to boil. When the steam is condensed and distilled once more, you get grappa. The caveat for grappa is it has to be made in Italy.

How to Drink Brandy

Brandy liquor happens to be a digestif, meaning it can help settle your stomach after a particularly filling meal. As such, you’re likely to see brandy on dessert menus at restaurants. Here's the proper way to sip brandy alcohol neat.

How to Nose Brandy

1. Pour two ounces into a tulip glass, then let the spirit settle.

2. Tilt it a few inches under your chin at first. After a minute or two, bring it up to your nose, swirling the glass so the aromas are released.

3. Inhale through your nose but leave your mouth open so the vapors don't burn your nasal receptors.

4. Next, oxidize the brandy by placing your palm over the top of the glass. Tilt and rotate it against your palm so the liquid coats all sides. Let sit for 20 to 30 seconds.

How to Sip Brandy

1. Take a sip and keep it in your mouth for a few seconds, swishing it around gently to further oxidize the liquid.

2. Swallow, then slowly inhale through your nose and out through your mouth. Next, do the opposite: Inhale through your mouth, then exhale through your nose. This helps to coat your palate.

3. Consider the tasting notes: fruits, spices, pepper, etc. Sip and enjoy at your leisure.

Brandy Cocktails to Make at Home

Brandy alcohol can be shaken or stirred into a number of cocktails. In fact, it once served as the foundational spirit for numerous classic cocktails that are still beloved today, like the old fashioned, mint julep, French 75, and even the traditional margarita, Warter says. Whether you want to make apple brandy cocktails or riffs on classic whiskey cocktails, these are a great way to explore brandy liquor and find some new favorite brandy brands.

The Best Glassware for Brandy

Most brandy, especially those on the higher end, are truly meant to be sipped and savored. Just like other barrel-aged spirits, brandy is coveted for its ability to demonstrate an unlimited number of tasting profiles. Some brandy might exhibit a rich, syrupy mouthfeel with deep fruit and wood flavors, while others could display as bright and floral, with a crisper mouthfeel.

“Ultimately, the choice of glassware should complement the type of brandy experience you want to create,” says Warter. “A thinner tulip glass or a Glencairn Glass, characterized by its tapered and elongated design, concentrates the aromas and provides an enriching nosing experience. The traditional brandy snifter is too wide and concentrates the alcohol smell too much, not allowing the flavors to be appreciated as much.”

Similarly, Forget says at HINE they opt for a traditional tulip glass, like Riedel Veritas Spirits Glass, when it comes to tasting Cognac, rather than a brandy snifter. “The stem of the glass makes it easier to swirl the drink and allows the aromas to rise evenly, and the top of the bowl is just the right size so the aromas rise straight to the nose, as opposed to hiding at the edge of the glass.”

When it comes to mixing brandy cocktails, Warter says the choice of glass may vary depending on the specific cocktail you're making. Some common glassware options include: a highball or Collins glass for refreshing cocktails such as a brandy highball and rocks glasses for classics like a brandy old fashioned.

Why You Should Trust Us

I'm a journalist who specializes in spirits. I'm always reviewing bottles, discovering new brands, and speaking with distillers, master blenders, and founders in the space. For this roundup of the best brandy, I reviewed brandies and asked experts—David Warter, vice president of Winemaking and Distillation at E&J Gallo Winery and Eric Forget, cellar master at HINE—to highlight their top picks.