Sales of brandy have seen a recent renaissance as interest in aged liquor and cocktails continues to rise. As a beginner we will introduce you to the best options. It can be drank neat or mixed in craft cocktails like the popular Sidecar, Sazerac, Old Fashioned, or Jack Rose drinks.

Whether you use it for cooking, as an after-dinner drink, or to have on a shelf for cocktail-making, there is a brandy for you to start with.

In this guide, we will look at the best brandy for beginners. This will include as an after-dinner drink, for cocktail making, and for cooking. We will also look at the best Cognac, the best apple brandy, and the best Armagnac.

Quick Answer

1. Best Brandy As An After-Dinner Drink – Camus VSOP Elegance Cognac
2. Best Brandy For Cocktail Making – Bertoux Brandy
3. Best Brandy For Cooking – E&J VS
4. Best Cognac – Hennessy VS Cognac
5. Best Apple Brandy – Laird’s Bottled In Bond Straight Apple Brandy
6. Best Armagnac – Castarède

1. Best Brandy As An After-Dinner Drink

If you are looking for a brandy to start out with as an after-dinner drink then it simply must be a Cognac. Go for a brand that has existed for around five generations and you cannot go wrong, and that’s certainly the case with Camus.

They have been operating in the Cognac region of France since 1863 so know a thing or two about aging brandy effectively.

Their VSOP Cognac remains highly drinkable and represents excellent value for a brandy you will be reaching for time and time again after a meal.

Pros

• Long Family History – Camus has been produced as a Cognac over five generations and can be traced as far back as 1863.
• Specially Selected Barrels – The aging process is conducted in specially selected, seasoned barrels for that extra touch of luxury.
• Eaux-de-vie – Camus also uses a specific aromatic Eaux-de-vie which is partially distilled on the lees, another extra touch.
• Accessibility – Though the Cognac may be at a price point that is a touch too high for many, the notes of butterscotch, baked apples, dried figs, and poached pears help ensure its accessibility and drinkability.

Cons

• Price – At an average price of $56, this brandy may be a little too expensive for many brandy beginners

2. Best Brandy For Cocktail Making

Though few brandy drinkers may want to believe that brandy should be used in cocktails, it remains a vital component in several extravagant creations. Thankfully, some brands have seen the necessity for providing drinkers with brandies that are ideal for cocktail-making.

One of them is Bertoux Brandy which comes from California, a great wine-making region in its own regard.

The brandy has been created and blended with the help of an acclaimed bartender (Jeff Bell) and a renowned sommelier (Thomas Pastuszak) so you know it has been created properly with a blend aged between three and seven years.

Pros

• Expertise – The blend has been developed via a collaboration between a sommelier and a bartender so you know it should be just right for cocktail-making.

Cons

• Potentially Overpowering – Due to the age of the brandy blend, it may be deemed overpowering in certain brandy-heavy cocktails.

3. Best Brandy For Cooking

If you are looking for a brandy to cook with then there are several E&J brandies to choose from. The flavors range from vanilla to apple, and peach but if you are looking for a versatile bottle then opt for the E&J VS.

This is E&J’s OG offering from 1975 which offers hints of vanilla, apple, and even toasted oak. That should make it impressive enough for some straight sipping but is equally as impressive mixing it up in a cocktail or for cooking.

Pros

• Impressive Flavor Profile – With hints ranging from apple to vanilla via toasted oak, you may find yourself spending time determining the flavor notes.
• Award-winning – E&J’s VS offering scored 85 points at the 2019 Ultimate Spirits Challenge for Great Value and was awarded gold at the 2018 San Diego Spirits Festival.

Cons

• Subtlety – Like many brandies that are ideal for cooking, the flavor notes remain largely fruity but perhaps a bit too subtle.

4. Best Cognac

To be clear, all Cognac has to be produced from that specific region in France and created with specific grape varieties. Even the time the brandy is aged in an oak barrel is tailored to the categorization of Cognac.

That may be confusing yet the aging requirement is only two years so Hennessy VS Cognac is an ideal place to start and a bottle should only cost around $30. This is a comparatively young bottle of brandy yet remains fruity and bright.

Pros

• Affordability – At around $30 a bottle, this Cognac represents good value.
• Versatility – Though this remains a Cognac, you could include it alongside more regular spirits and not mind too much when it is used in a cocktail.

Cons

• Comparatively Young – As the brandy has only been aged for two years, it remains relatively young.

5. Best Apple Brandy

Some stupendous brandies actually come from regions outside of Cognac and several Old World wine regions. You can add Laird’s Bottled In Bond Straight Apple Brandy to that list as a great American apple brandy that has been sold since 1780.

The brandy was likely to be produced a full century before then and such experience shows from their New Jersey distillery to this day.

Each bottle of apple brandy has been aged for a minimum of four years, and that’s in charred oak barrels for a warm, tasty, and rich apple pie-esque finish.

Pros

• All-Rounder – You may be surprised at how versatile an apple brandy is as it can be used in cooking or simply enjoyed neat if you need that apple flavor.

Cons

• Limited For Cocktails – Unless the recipe asks for it or apple juice is used as a mixer, you may struggle to use the apple brandy for making cocktails.

6. Best Armagnac

With some brandies, you are paying for how long they have been aged which is certainly the case for Castarède. Though these Armagnacs will come in at a higher price point, they are almost certainly worth the investment.

You may even want to buy a bottle simply to see it rise in value as most of them are already significantly aged. While bottles that have been aged for 30 years may set you back three figures, a 1938 vintage will easily go over four figures.

Pros

• Well-Aged – Basically all Castarède Armagnacs are well-aged in oak casks which help provide the maximum amount of tannins.
• Single Distillation – For complex aromas and taste, you can benefit from a single distillation between 58 and 60 degrees.

Cons

• Expensive – Due to the age of the vintages, you will be expected to pay a high price point but this is a great place to start for an Armagnac.

Buyer’s Guide

When choosing a brandy, you should consider how strong you want it to be. There is a vast range of proof and alcohol content alone which is worth bearing in mind if you have a sensitive palate.

Some brandies, especially those which are ideal for cooking with, have subtle flavors. However, Cognac and aged Reserve brandies will come in at a higher price point to represent how long they have been aged for.

If you want a brandy to sip neat then you may want to pay more for one that you would cook with or use in cocktails.

Cooking Brandy

It may seem stupefying to use a somewhat expensive bottle of brandy for cooking yet it can provide an exciting twist to a dish. Not only is it flammable but can keep various meats moist while they cook.

You may not be comfortable setting your frying pan alright (leave that to the professionals in a restaurant) yet a splash of the good stuff could be a game changer.

With oaky notes and a fruity flavor profile, many brandies represent an excellent liqueur to use to flambé desserts such as cherries jubilee, bananas foster, and bombe Alaska.

If you are looking to use a brandy for cooking then check that those oaky notes and flavors of fruits are present as some Cognacs and Armagnacs may be overpowering.

You certainly do not want to waste a bottle of brandy that has cost three figures on a dessert and have it be too strong or waste the alcohol content when cooked at too high a temperature. Opt for subtlety as you want to ensure that the taste of the dessert or meat comes through.

Brandy also goes well with seafood and you can use it to deglaze the pan or create a delicious sauce.

You can also use a cooking brandy in various recipes, not simply to set ingredients aflame or deglaze a pan. That includes brandy snaps with a delicious brandy cream and Bella Brandy Cream Chicken that uses brandy in a cream sauce.

A caramel-brandy sauce also goes really well with steak while you can use brandy in a Crème Brûlée.

Cognac Qualifications

To beginners, brandy and Cognac may sound like they are used interchangeably and that Cognac is a type of brandy. That’s kinda right but Cognac is held to a much higher standard than just any old brandy.

Due to the specific region in France that it is produced in and the number of years it is aged for, you can look out for a great bottle of Cognac by the qualification it holds.

Put bluntly, you can consider the relationship between Champagne and sparkling wine in the same way as you can consider Cognac with brandy. It is all about the specific region in France and those particular rules that go into its production to look after its quality.

There is also the likening to the relationship between bourbon and whiskey. Just as bourbon is known as a type of whiskey, Cognac is a type of brandy.

However, there are several styles of Cognac to remember and several sub-regions inside Cognac with their own flavor notes and levels of quality. While all Cognac can be classed as brandy, not all brandy can be classed as Cognac, which is worth remembering.

The youngest Cognac is VS, also known as Very Special, which has only been aged for a minimum of two years while VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) has been aged for double that period, for at least four years.

An Extra Old Cognac is known as XO or Napoleon and has been aged for a minimum of ten years while XXO (Extra, Extra Old) has been aged in a barrel for at least 14 years.

Reserve Cognacs have been aged for around 25 years while Hors d’Age essentially means Beyond Age and the Cognac should be aged for over 30 years, maybe even a century.

Armagnac Qualifications

Similarly to Cognac, there are various qualifications that Armagnac has to abide by too. Though Armagnac comes from France, and a region just south of Cognac, it is a different type of brandy.

There are notable similarities though, as both areas have sub-regions that have their own flavor characteristics. A similar classification system also exists to help define the quality and age of Armagnac.

It is worth remembering the subtle differences as VSOP should indicate a minimum of five years of aging rather than the four for Cognac. XO Armagnac is aged for six years, rather than the ten for Cognac, and Hor’s d’Age should be aged for at least ten years, rather than the 30 for Cognac.

Finally, there is one crucial point to remember about Armagnac which is that it is distilled only once.

Country/Region Of Origin

While it is commonly known that Cognac derives from the Cognac region of France, there are other brandies that hail from specific countries, and even regions. For instance, Calvados also hails from France but the apple brandy comes from the Normandy region.

Also in Europe is Brandy de Jerez which is from the Jerez region in Andalusia, Spain and Schnapps which involves several German fruit brandies. Then there is Grappa which is created from the pomace which is leftover from winemaking and comes from Italy.

Also made from pomace is Ouzo which comes from Greece, though it is flavored by anise and other herbs so there is doubt as to whether it counts as a brandy.

There is also confusion over Pisco from Peru as Chile creates it but under different classifications so the two countries compete over their use of the term. Palinka is from Hungary and dates all the way back to the 14th century while Palenka is from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Then there is Rakia from the Balkans and the fruit brandy is not to be confused with Raki which is similar to Ouzo as an anise-flavored spirit from grape pomace.

Final Thoughts

When you are beginning your journey into brandy drinking, it is essential that you have an idea of what you are looking for. We always recommend you choose local.

If you want a brandy to sip neat after dinner then opt for a Cognac but not a heavily aged one.Not only will that be more expensive but you want to ease your way into brandy drinking. Perhaps start with a few brandy cocktails so you can work out which flavors you enjoy and which ones you want to employ in various cocktails.

If you enjoy the taste of brandy but are yet to find the right brandy to drink on its own then try cooking with it. After creating an exceptional creamy brandy sauce for a steak, you may get a taste for that brandy’s flavor notes and then you have a better idea of what you like.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can Brandy Be So Strong?

It may be strange to think that brandy actually begins as wine before being distilled and refined. That makes sense when you consider that the term ‘brandy’ derives from the Dutch for ‘burnt’, ‘distilled’, or ‘wine’.

Following the distillation and aging process, brandy can vary in proof from 70 up to 120 which is very strong. You could even find that the strongest brandies are more potent than vodka which has a limited range of between 90 and 100 proof.

How Is Brandy Made?

Brandy starts out as raw, fermented fruit which is commonly in the form of grapes. These grapes are still green when they are picked and come with a strong skin to keep in the phenols, though peaches, apricots, and apples can be used too.

Fermentation can come from the fruit’s pulp, juice, or pomace and changes the flavor and acidity of the brandy. Next, yeast is added to convert the fruit’s sugars into alcohol, then the brandy is distilled and aged which can take between two and 30 years.