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Armagnac Production

Like Cognac, Armagnac can legally be distilled twice in a copper Charentais still, but 95% of all Armagnac is distilled once in a copper continuous still which is often transported from one producer to the next in the winter months. This type of still predates the continuous still widely used today in the production of Vodka and other neutral spirits, and issues a brandy of only 52-60% ABV, lower than the double-distillation pot still of Cognac. To begin, the wine enters the main column of the still, where it cascades over a number of heated plates that divide the column. When the wine reaches the lower boiler, it begins to steam and vaporize; the vapors then rise back through curved tubes within the plates, forcing the outgoing eau de vie into contact with the incoming wine and ensuring that additional flavors and aromas are transferred to the spirit. Finally the vapors exit through the top of the column and into the condensing coil, where they are cooled from steam into liquid before dripping into a wooden cask. This lower-alcohol spirit retains many acids and congeners that double-distillation purifies or eliminates altogether. In their youth, these non-alcohols make the spirit thick, rustic, and fiery, but given time these elements oxidize and gain tremendous complexity.

Armagnac is traditionally aged in a 400-420L oak cask sourced from the Gascon forest, but those barrels are increasingly rare, so many producers are now sourcing from the Limousin forest. Like Cognac, Armagnac producers will gradually reduce the alcohol content of the spirit with water or petites eaux, and prior to bottling, the blender may add water, boise, caramel, or simple syrup to adjust the final character of the spirit.