September 2016: Brandies of the World

by Lee Bullock

Brandy, derived from the Dutch word brandewijn “burnt wine”, is a spirit made from fermented fruit juice that is distilled and aged in oak barrels. While most brandy is made from grapes, brandy is also produced from a variety of fruits such as apple or pear. These are typically named eau-de-vie, French for “water of life.”

I selected Brandies from different countries to highlight the varieties of “standard” Brandies available and see how they varied from country to country.

• Cocktail:
  • Name: Brandy Old Fashioned (Sweet)
  • Ingredients: 2 oz Brandy, 1 Sugar Cube, 4 dashes Angostura Bitters, 2 Orange Slices, 2 Maraschino Cherries, Sprite
  • Recipe: In an old fashion glass, combine the sugar, bitters, 1 orange slice, 1 cherry, and a splash of Sprite. Muddle the ingredients.  Fill glass with ice and add the brandy. Stir until chilled. Garnish with an orange slice and 1 cherry.

• Bottle 1 :
  • Name: Ysabel Regina (used in Old Fashioned)
  • Country of Origin: Spain
  • Age: Minimum of 10 years
  • Price: $58.63
  • Purchase location: Master of Malt
  • Tasting Notes:
    • Nose: Toasted raisin, rhubarb crumble and a hints of spice
    • Palate: Vanilla, sweet latte and prunes with a little demerara.
    • Finish: Soft, finely ground pepper, dark caramel, fruit flapjack.

• Why this bottle is featured: This is a blended brandy with very high rankings, preferred for cocktails.  From the website: “Ysabel Regina is a blend of the finest brandies and cognacs aged in “moist” Pedro Ximenez casks; the perfect start for a noble spirit. This pedigree cross-breeding is at the heart of Ysabel Regina, adding to our enjoyment of each cocktail which uses her as a base.”

• Bottle 2:
  • Name: Vecchia Romagna Etichetta Nera 
  • Country of Origin: Italy
  • Age: No age statement but stated as long ageing process in small casks
  • Price: $29.56
  • Purchase location: Master of Malt
  • Tasting Notes:
    • Nose: An aromatic, complex bouquet.
    • Palate: Rounded vanilla notes
    • Finish: Baking spice with taste of honey and vanilla.

• Why this bottle is featured: One of the oldest brandy labels in the world, over 120 years old, and well recognized in Italy as its bestselling brandy. The highest ranked brandy in Italy.

• Bottle 3:
  • Name: Gran Duque d’Alba Solera Gran Reserva 
  • Country of Origin: Spain
  • Age: No age statement, oak casks
  • Price: $50.41
  • Purchase location: Master of Malt
  • Tasting Notes:
    • Nose: Tense with a hint of raisins, grape, plum and vanilla
    • Palate: Complex and majestic
    • Finish: Smooth and full bodied with hints of vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and orange with a long finish.

• Why this bottle is featured: Highest ranked Spanish brandy.  From the website: “The extraordinary characteristics of this brandy are a direct consequence of its raw materials: a combination of soleras of Gran Duque de Alba and Gran Duque de Alba Oro. Excellence upon excellence. A very old brandy with a complexity which only time can bestow.”

• Bottle 4:
  • Name: Metaxa Private Reserve 
  • Country of Origin: Greece
  • Age: 30 years old, limousin oak casks
  • Price: $83.09
  • Purchase location: Master of Malt
  • Tasting Notes:
    • Nose: Flower petals with oak, citrus, spices and fruits from orchard
    • Palate: Honey with gentle oak, dried figs, orange peel and tobacco all embodied in a smooth as a silk touch.
    • Finish: Prolonged aromatic finish, there is a bit of smokiness involved with a sensual aftertaste of dried fruits.

• Why this bottle is featured: Highly rated brandy with longest age statement I could find.  Very old distillery founded in 1882 by Spyros Metaxas and his two brothers.

• Bottle 5:
  • Name: Germain-Robin XO 
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Age: Approximately 17 years old
  • Price: $139.99
  • Purchase location: com (have seen in Wichita since buying)
  • Tasting Notes:
    • Nose: Toffee, nougat, red berries, and spice
    • Palate: intense caramel
    • Finish: Modest wood, and a butterscotch finish.

• Why this bottle is featured: I wanted to add a US Brandy and was ranked #1 in world when first introduced.  Also President Ronald Reagan used to boast about Germain-Robin brandy to his White House drinking buddies, guys like Mikhail Gorbachev. Germain-Robin president Ansley Coale is justifiably proud to count Reagan among his company’s first boosters. “We met waiters who told us, ‘Reagan used to wave it around. He’d say, I used to be governor of this state’,” Coale says. “He forced (then-French president Francois) Mitterand to drink it.”