What’s the Distinction Between Brandy and Whiskey?

Think about two glasses sitting side-by-side. One comprises a neat pour of bourbon whiskey, the opposite, Cognac. Each liquids look virtually equivalent. They every have a brownish-amber hue, and related aromas of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice. Regardless of the commonalities, a basic distinction exists between brandy and whiskey.

Merely put, brandy is an alcoholic spirit distilled from fermented fruit, and whiskey is a spirit distilled from fermented grains. Stemming from that primary distinction are many distinctions that come up from the selection of components and manufacturing that lead every class of spirit to have a singular identification. 

Each brandy and whiskey are very numerous classes of spirits that may be loved in a mess of how. Understanding what every spirit is comprised of, and the way every is produced can go a good distance when choosing the fitting bottle.

What’s brandy?

“Sometimes, after we discuss brandy, we imply barrel-aged brandy comprised of grapes, and often these are comprised of white grapes,” says Lance Winters, grasp distiller at St. George Spirits. Winters has 30 years of expertise distilling completely different kinds of each whiskey and brandy.

The most well-liked fashion of brandy on the earth is Cognac, which is a barrel-aged grape brandy distilled in France. “Cognac is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), so it could actually solely be produced within the Cognac space following a selected distillation approach,” says Amaury Thomas, co-founder and grasp blender of Martingale Cognac.

“If a grasp blender creates a product that actually stands out, even utilizing the very same base ingredient and strategies, which means that solely savoir faire, craftsmanship, and private style make the distinction,” says Thomas.

Brandy is a wildly numerous class of spirit. It’s distilled everywhere in the world and will be comprised of many sorts of fruit. Other than grapes, apples are a typical base ingredient, together with pears, peaches, plums, and berries.

 What’s whiskey?

Most U.S. drinkers have familiarity with a number of kinds of whiskey, the preferred of that are bourbon, rye, single malt scotch, and Irish whiskey. Every fashion is comprised of a wide range of grains, mostly barley, corn, rye, and wheat. 

Various kinds of whiskeys have completely different authorized necessities. Single-malt scotch, as an example, should solely be distilled from malted barley. Bourbon must be comprised of at the least 51% corn, and the remaining grains will be any combination.

The grain or mixture of grains used has a significant affect on the flavour of a given whiskey. 

“Primarily based on what mash invoice is utilized, there will be large variations,” says Winters. “Take rye [whiskey], for instance, which has to make use of at the least 51% rye by weight. [By the resulting flavor profile], you possibly can inform that rye is actually asserting itself in a giant manner.” 

Distillation variations

Whiskey and brandy each are usually distilled in a different way, as properly. 

“Areas that create completely different spirits sometimes have their very own fashion of nonetheless that sometimes just about all people works with,” says Winters. 

In Cognac, copper pot stills are required when distilling. 

“Cognac is the results of the double distillation of wine in conventional copper pot stills,” says Thomas. “First, we distill the wine and acquire a low-alcohol liquid referred to as brouillis. Then we distill this brouillis and we choose the fraction of this second distillation with essentially the most fragrant alcohol compounds, referred to as the ‘coronary heart.’” 

Different kinds of brandy from completely different areas have completely different traditions and legal guidelines dictating their manufacturing.

Whiskey distillation strategies differ between areas, and there’s usually additional variation inside these areas. 

“Whiskey stills are as diversified as whiskey distilleries,” says Winters. “You’ll see lots of them within the Southern a part of the US that use steady stills.”

Steady stills, also called column stills are extremely environment friendly and the most typical sort of nonetheless utilized in bourbon and rye manufacturing. All single malt Scotch whiskies are required by legislation to be distilled with copper pot stills, which require distillation in batches, however give the completed whisky a uniquely wealthy taste and mouthfeel.

Barrel growing older

Barrel growing older is the most important issue that unites most brandy and whiskey. 

In most whiskey-producing areas, the distillate should spend an prolonged interval being aged in a picket barrel, to be thought of a whiskey. 

Cognac has the same requirement, however many kinds of brandy don’t should be aged. 

“Getting old Cognac is an extended and delicate course of, requiring know-how, craftsmanship, and persistence,” says Thomas. “Eaux de vie must age for at least two years earlier than being allowed for use in a mix.” 

The contact between a distilled spirit and an oak barrel has a big effect on that spirit’s coloration and taste. Within the case of each brandy and whiskey, many of the spirit’s coloration comes from the wooden. Oak barrels additionally impart the spirit with aromas and flavors, most notably vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and baking spice — the entire attributes that Cognac and whiskey share.

One of the best ways to take pleasure in a whiskey or brandy

Whiskey and brandy are additionally loved in barely other ways. 

“There are comparatively few events that naturally lend themselves to the consumption of a Cognac,” says Andrew Weir, chief business & advertising officer and co-founder of Martingale Cognac. “After a meal, in a high-energy nightlife second, or maybe a late-night stress-free sip. Whiskey, by comparability, has been promoted in all of these moments and lots of extra,” he says. “Brandy, or Cognac on this case, has lots of baggage when it comes to the perceived notion of who it’s or who it isn’t for.”

Brandy is used as the bottom spirit in traditional cocktails just like the Sidecar, the Brandy Crusta, and sometimes the Sazerac, however fashionable mixologists are incorporating the spirit into new creations as properly. 

“I do see an increase in cocktails made with fruit brandies,” says Winters. “You possibly can take one thing like a extremely well-made fruit brandy and make cocktails with what a flavored vodka desires to be, however solely fruit brandy will be.”

Whiskey, then again, is totally built-in into U.S. ingesting tradition. 

“Whiskey, culturally, is everywhere in the map,” says Winters. “Someone can go right into a bar and order a beer and a shot of whiskey or you too can make so many superb cocktails from whiskey.” 

All kinds of whiskey are additionally repeatedly sipped neat or on the rocks. “You’ve gotten rye if you need one thing shiny and peppery and punchy. For one thing candy, bourbon has a lot of that oaky sweetness to it,” says Winters. “If you’d like one thing dry, gripping, and smoky, a pleasant peaty scotch goes to suit the invoice.”