The difference between cognac and armagnac
At first glance, this question may seem insignificant. Well, how, pray tell, can cognac differ from armagnac, if both have external similarities and French origin, both are made from grape alcohol aged in oak barrels, drunk in similar conditions from the same type of glasses, and sound very similar?
In fact, there are differences, and no less than between other drinks of the same group. Let's find out the difference between cognac and armagnac.
Time and place
Despite the fact that both drinks come from France, it happened with a fairly decent time interval, and in different parts of the country. Armagnac was the first to appear in the middle of the XIV century. Cognac appeared only 150 years later - at the turn of the XV and XVI centuries. The homeland of the first was the Gascon region of Armagnac, while the second was born in the vicinity of the town of Cognac, which is located somewhat north - in the province of Charente.
It was the latter circumstance that allowed the younger of the drinks to gain worldwide fame: Charente, which has access to the sea, turned out to be much more accessible to foreign traders than Armagnac, which is located at a decent distance from both the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea.
Production differences
The result of geographical remoteness is the numerous differences that occur in the manufacture of both drinks.
Grape variety
Only Uni Blanc grapes are used for cognac, while Armagnac, in addition to the mentioned variety, may contain about a dozen more varieties of white grapes.
Distillation
While cognac uses double distillation to produce grape alcohol, armagnac is a single, long distillation.
As a result, a stronger drink from Charente is diluted to the canonical 40 degrees before bottling, while its southern counterpart naturally acquires a strength that varies between 40-50 revolutions during aging.
Blending
In the case of cognac, it is allowed to mix alcohol obtained during the processing of harvests of different years.
In the manufacture of armagnac, only grapes from the same harvest are used.
This makes cognac a more manageable drink with stable characteristics. The drink from Gascony, whose properties vary slightly from year to year, likes to bring its fans both pleasant and unpleasant surprises.
Oak barrels
These drinks are aged in barrels made of different types of oak: cognac - from Limousin oak, armagnac - from black oak. The latter is usually aged for a longer period of time.
Armagnac producers are forced to find a middle ground between achieving the optimal aging period and preventing the drink from being over-saturated with tannins, which are abundant in black oak. That is why the future Armagnac is only first aged in new barrels made of tannin-rich freshly cut wood.
Subsequently, it is poured into older containers, albeit not as strong, but having a lower level of binders due to their venerable age.
All of the above factors could not but affect the taste, olfactory and even visual differences that exist between the drinks we are interested in.
Features of use
There are also some differences when drinking both drinks. First of all, they are due to the fact that Armagnac is more rigid, but at the same time has a brighter and more diverse flavor and aroma spectrum.
While cognac is usually served either with coffee and desserts or as a digestif, armagnac is not so demanding in this regard.
In addition to its dessert and digestive role, it is excellent both as part of a combined aperitif and as a table drink (especially in the company of foie gras and other dishes of southern French cuisine).
The harshness of the Gascon drink has another interesting property, thanks to which all varieties of armagnac go well with an afternoon cigar, while cognac will be inappropriate in this case...
Update: 20.06.2015
Category: Brandy and Cognac