The history of Cognac – Distillation of the Cognac Brandy.

Distillation is a simple process, based on the fact that alcohol vaporises at a lower temperature than water, allowing the spirit to escape. When fermented liquor such as wine is heated, the alcohol vaporises and is trapped in the pipe leading from the top of the still, and is then cooled when it turns back into a liquid.

There are a number of problems such as the shape and size of the vessel, the metal from which it is constructed and the quality of the liquid being distilled. Although in early days distillation was repeated on several occasions to increase strength, by the eighteenth century double distillation had largely become the norm. Initially brouillis, a half strength spirit was produced, before being distilled again in what is called La Bonne Chauffe. The stage when the spirit was acceptable and stopped distilling, are further problems to which only very simple rules were applied. Consequently, the many variations at these stages created many less than perfect results.

By Muniers (a well known brandy trader) time, the conditions for producing the best cognac had been well defined. White grapes were used where ever possible, and the Folle Blanche had largely been accepted as producing the best distillation. By 1770 the Cognaçaise had learnt the necessity for acidic wines to aid the process.