Cognac is simply a special type of brandy distilled in the Cognac region. Any brandy that is distilled outside this region cannot be called so under any circumstances. Brandy is a form of alcohol that is very famous all around the world. It is a special breed of French wine wherein the water is removed from the wine once it has been fermented, thus making it stronger and more concentrated in nature. The origins of brandy can be traced back to the 16th century when wine was traded between Holland and France and transported via war vessels. Some captains, with the aim to save space and cut costs, used to remove the water from the wine during transportation and then used to replace the water when the wine reached the destination. Pretty soon people started liking the wine without the water being put back in, and this came to be known as brandy. The name stems from the term Brandewijn which means burnt wine. List of Cognac Brands Cognac can be distinguished and recognized with the help of the distinct C that is present on the brandy bottle. There are different ranges of it that can be purchased, and this depends on your appreciation of these brands and your taste levels. Since it all depends on your personal tastes and preferences, but naturally, the more expensive bottles will be better to taste. Here are the best brands that you will find around the world.

• Bache-Gabrielsen
• Bisquit
• Braastad
• Brillet
• Camus
• Chateau des Plassons
• Chateau Fontpinot
• Comandon
• Courvoisier
• Croizet
• Delamain
• Frapin
• Gaston de Casteljac
• Grand Mariner
• Hennessy
• Hine
• Kelt
• Laclie
• Landy
• Leopold Raffin
• Louis Royer
• Maine Giraud
• Marcel Ragnaud
• Martell
• Meukow
• Moyet
• Otard
• Paul Giraud
• Pierre Ferrand
• Prince Hubert de Polignac
• Rastignac
• Remy Martin
• Salignac
• Tiffon

When you are looking for the best Cognac for the money, you should take various factors like taste, color, age, distillation, and packaging into consideration. Different types of brandy often have a combination of letters on the bottle itself, and these signify different things about the distillation and the bottling process. Here are the different characters that you will see, and what each of them means. Remember that these characters may appear individually, or in some combination with each other.

• C: Cognac
• V: Very
• O: Old
• S: Superior
• E: Especial
• F: Fine
• P: Pale
• X: Extra

Cognac is a very elitist and royal drink that has so much interesting information about it, and this is something that every alcohol lover should know. Here are some facts about it that will help you learn more.

• It is only distilled in the Cognac region of France.
• The brandy is only distilled from certain types of grapes, the most famous of which is Ugni Blanc.
• It is distilled twice in copper pot stills, and must be aged for at least 2 years in Limousin Oak barrels.
• The different grades available are VS (Very Superior), VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) and XO (Extra Old).
• The United States is the single biggest market for Cognac in the world, especially since the hip-hop industry embraced it as its drink of choice.
• Many people believe that Remy Martin, Henessy, Martell, and Courvoisier are the best brands, since their sales constitute 90% of sales all over the world.

All these brands come in some pretty attractive bottles, and this also adds to the impression that the drink is meant for rich people. This is far from the truth, because many of the good brands come at pretty affordable rates.