Homemade & Commercial

Wine, Beer, Spirits, Cider & Mead Guides

Alcoholic beverages; most commonly beer and wines made at home. Brews made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. The Beer Pirate features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and commercial productions information; and all the best practices needed to make that perfect batch!

The early distillers used very crude and primitive equipment. Fermentation was carried on in open mash tubs, the yeast being the wild varieties which the air afforded. Since that day tremendous changes have taken place.

The making of American whiskies is basically the same as the making of grain whiskies in Scotland. The grains, of course, are different, and the whiskey is distilled out at a lower proof.

Briefly the steps are as follows:

1. The grain upon arrival at the distillery is carefully inspected and cleaned of all dust.
2. It is ground in the grist mill to a meal.
3. The meal, together with a small amount of malt, is cooked to convert the starches.
4. The cooled “wort” is yeasted with pure culture yeast, and goes to the fermenting vats to become “beer.”
5. The beer goes into a patent or double column still. The result is whiskey, which is distilled out at below 160 proof. It is now reduced in proof to 100 to 103 by the addition of pure well water.

The new whiskey is placed in a new charred white oak barrel to mature in a bonded warehouse, where it must remain under Treasury Department control until the Internal Revenue tax has been paid. The time limit was eight years until recently when it was extended to twenty years. This means that a whiskey or any other distilled spirit still in bond after twenty years is then subject to payment of the Internal Revenue tax, whether it can be sold or not. symptoms of zoloft working; Levitra Online lipitor drug cost
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Early American settlers brought spirituous liquors with them, as they were considered essential in withstanding the hardships of an ocean voyage, and a medicine in cases of illness in the new, savage land. For a long time, spirits had to be imported from Europe.

The first commercially distilled spirits in what is the present day United States was New England rum. Distilling of whiskey on a commercial scale began over a century later.

There is a record of experimental distilling in 1660, but it was not until the early eighteenth century that the distilling of whiskey began to develop. The grains used along the Eastern seaboard were rye and barley. As the settlements began extending westward, however, it became apparent that the transportation of newly grown grain back to the populous seaboard cities was difficult for the settlers, particularly those in Western Pennsylvania. They found it was simpler to distil their grain, both rye and com, into whiskey. It not only kept longer, but was easier to transport to the cities. Whiskey and furs, indeed, became the best means of exchange, particularly during the Revolutionary War period when Continental currency was worth less than five cents on the dollar.

Whiskey played a prominent part in our early history, in determining our right and ability to be a self-governed nation. It happened in this way. Whiskey had always been distilled in small, family-owned distilleries, without legal interference from any government. In 1791, not long after George Washington became President, money being a crying need for the new nation, an excise tax was levied on whiskey.

The independent Pennsylvania distillers resented the taxing of their product and said so in no uncertain terms. The tax collectors in some cases were even tarred and feathered. There were rioting and stormy scenes in these “western” communities, and President Washington, in great haste, sent a force of militia to quell the “insurrection.” It was done without bloodshed and accomplished its object. While in itself the “insurrection” was of minor importance, it was of tremendous significance to the future of the Federal Government, and is still known as the “Whiskey Rebellion.”

Many of the disgruntled Dutch, Scotch, and Irish farmer-distillers decided to move out of reach of the tax collector, which meant going farther west into Indian Territory. They found the proper water for distilling in Southern Indiana and Kentucky.

The first whiskey distilled in Kentucky is generally attributed to the Reverend Elijah Craig at Georgetown, which was in Bourbon County. The grain he employed was com (maize) as it was more plentiful than rye. It became known as Bourbon County whiskey, and the name Bourbon has remained as the designation of whiskies distilled from a com mash.

The three important whiskey-distilling areas in the United States are not located where they are from pure chance but because of the most important factor in the making of whiskey-the quality of the water. It comes from springs that pass up through layer on layer of limestone rock. The limestone mantel runs along Western Pennsylvania, cuts across Southern Indiana and over into Kentucky. There is another isolated limestone region in Maryland around Baltimore.

However, with the advancement of science and the development of inexpensive water technology the distiller has been freed from the necessity of locating his production at or near these limestone mantel outcroppings. Today he can and does distil whiskey in many other parts of the United States.

There is a common belief that Irish whiskey is a potato whiskey. This is not true at all. No doubt the misconception stems from the fact that the Irish refer to illicitly distilled whiskey as poteen, a term derived from the pot still in which it has traditionally been distilled. Yes, in Ireland they eat potatoes but do not use them for distilling purposes.

Whiskey in Ireland is distilled from a fermented mash of the same grains as are used in Scotland, namely, malted barley, unmalted barley, corn, rye and other small grains.

The barley malt used is dried in a kiln which has a solid floor, so that the smoke from the fuel-very often peat-has no opportunity to come in contact with the grain. Thus the malt is not “smoke-cured,” as is the case in Scotland. All Irish whiskey is triple distilled.

Irish whiskies are often all pot still distillations, and while often shipped as a blend of whiskies of the same distillery, they are also shipped as unblended straight whiskies, on occasion.

Grain whiskies are also distilled in column or patent stills. Some houses blend their malt whiskies with grain whiskies to produce a lighter-bodied and flavored whiskey.

Most Irish whiskies are seven years old or more before they are shipped. Irish is a particularly smooth whiskey, but with a great deal of body and a clean, malt flavor.

It is used in the same manner as Scotch whisky.

The whisky remains in cask, under government supervision, from the time it is distilled until it is sold for export or home consumption.

Until 1853, Scotch whiskies were always “straight” whiskies, but about that time a few distillers began the practice of blending whiskies from various sources and widely separated distilleries, all in Scotland, of course. The firm of Andrew Usher & Company is credited with beginning this practice. Before this time, the taste for Scotch was confined to Scotland, but after blending became a general practice, Scotch whisky became popular in England and throughout the world, as the blend of unmalted grain whisky with malts produced a drink generally liked.

As already pointed out, the four geographical divisions from which whiskies made entirely from malted barley are obtained are the Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown and Islay. To these malted whiskies, we must now add unmalted whisky, known to the trade as grain whisky. Grain whisky in Scotland is whisky and not neutral spirits, as some people believe. The Scotch grain whiskies are distilled out at slightly over 180 proof. They are reduced to 124 proof when barreled in Sherry casks for aging.

The blending is done when the whiskies are from three to four years old. A master blender examines them and indicates the exact proportion of Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown, and Islay malts and of grain whisky which are to be married. This is accomplished by placing the whiskies in a large vat where they are thoroughly mixed both by rotating paddles and by compressed air blown up from the bottom. The whisky is then returned to Sherry casks for a further period of maturing.

The Immature Spirits Act of Great Britain specifically states that no whisky may be sold for consumption in the British Isles less than three years old. By the reciprocal trade agreement between Great Britain and the United States, Scotch and Irish whiskies imported into this country must be at least four years old to be imported without an age statement on the label.

The usual Scotch blend is composed of from 30 to 50 per cent of malt whisky, the balance being grain whisky. The original object of using grain whiskies, which are always distilled in patent stills, was to reduce the cost, but in doing so a lighter whisky was produced, which appealed much more to the other peoples of the world than had the fuller, smokier Scotch whiskies previously made.

The essential difference between blends consists in the proportions used of the four types of malts. Of these, of course, the Highland malts are considered the finest, and are always the most costly. They are fairly light in body and flavor, and do not have too much smoke. The finest Highland section is Banffshire, and within it the Glenlivet and Speyside regions are considered the best. Next in importance is Moray. Lowland malts are also light in body, but not as smoky in flavor. Incidentally, almost all of the grain whisky distilleries are in the Lowlands. Campbeltown malts are very full in body and quite smoky. The Islay malts are also very full, smoky, and pungent.

In the last analysis, the reasons for blending are to obtain a smoother, more balanced product than any of its single component parts, and to assure uniform continuity of a given brand. In this way the consumer can look for the same character, flavor, taste and quality year in and year out. A Scotch whisky blend can very easily be the result of a marriage of as many as 30 or 40 malt whiskies, together with five or more grain whiskies.

The age of the individual whiskies at the time of blending may vary widely since no single whisky will be employed before it has reached its proper maturity. The time (years) required for this is governed by the character of the whisky itself and the climatic conditions under which it is matured. The fuller-bodied malts of Islay and Campbeltown take much longer, sometimes ten to twelve years, while the Highland and Lowland malts may be ready in six to eight years, and the grain whiskies may only require four years. The greater the climatic dampness the slower the aging process.

Therefore, the secret of fine Scotch whisky lies in the art of the blender. On his unique ability depends the polish, smoothness and uniformity of the whisky. There are some 112 distilleries in Scotland (84 Highland Malt, 7 Lowland Malt, 8 Islay Malt, 2 Campbeltown Malt and 11 Grain Whisky distilleries) producing over 4000 brands or blends.

Scotch whisky is obtained primarily from barley, which is grown in Scotland preferably, but of late year’s barley from California, Canada, India, Africa, and other countries has been imported for distilling purposes.

There are five main processes in the making of Scotch: first, malting; second, mashing; third, fermenting; fourth, distilling; and fifth, maturing and blending.

On arrival at the distillery, the barley goes into the barley-receiving room where it is dressed, that is, sieved, or passed over screens so that small and inferior grain will be eliminated, after which the best grain is stored. When required for use, it is placed in tanks, called “steeps,” where it is soaked in water until thoroughly softened. It is then spread out on the floor of the malting house, and sprinkled with warm water for about three weeks, during which time the grain begins to germinate, that is, to sprout.

When the sprouts are about three-quarters of an inch long, the water is turned off and the grain is known as “green malt.” Please note that it is already malt, for malt is germinated grain. During this germination process, a chemical change has occurred in the grain which is important in its future function of producing whisky. Some of the starches have been changed into diastase, which has the property of converting the balance of the starch into sugars-maltose and dextrin-which are fermentable, whereas the starch in its original state is not.

The green malt is transferred to a kiln, where it rests on a screen directly above a peat (Peat is coal in its primary stage, and consists of partially carbonized vegetable material, usually found in bogs. Pressed and dried peat is generally used for fuel in both Scotland and Ireland.) fire. Like green wood, peat gives off a much more acrid and oily smoke than soft coal. This swirls around the grain, which becomes so impregnated with the aroma of the smoke that it is carried over into the spirit later distilled from it.

The kilning, or drying, process is very important, as it is here that the malt acquires a good part of its character, and a variation occurs here in the various regions; that is, the malt in the Lowlands is kilned less than in the Highlands; whereas the Campbeltown and Islay grains are more heavily roasted.

The kilned malt is now screened to remove the culm or dried sprouts, after which it goes to the mill room where it is ground into meal or “grist.”

The next step is mashing. The ground malt is thoroughly mixed with warm water in a mash-tub where it soaks until the water has liquefied all of the starches, and the diastase has converted them into sugars. When the water has absorbed all of the goodness from the grain, it is drawn off, cooled, and is known as wort.

The wort now passes into the fermenting vats where a small quantity of carefully cultivated pure yeast is added and fermentation takes place. The yeast acts upon the sugars in the wort in the same manner as the natural yeasts act upon the sugars in grape juice, producing alcohol and carbonic acid gas. When fermentation is completed, the liquid is known as beer, or wash. Up to this point the process is identical with that of the brewing of ales and beers, except for the omission of hops.

The beer now goes into a pot still which is known as the wash still. The result of the first distillation is a distillate of low alcoholic strength, which is known as low wines. The low wines pass into the spirit still where they are redistilled. The first and last part of the distillation (the heads and tails called the feints) is gathered separately from the middle portion, which is the useful part of the distillation. At the beginning and at the end of the distillation operation, too high a percentage of impurities are carried over with the spirit, which, if used, would impair the flavor of the spirit when matured. The feints, however, contain a substantial quantity of useful alcohol and are returned to the spirit still with the next charge of low wines, and the alcohol is distilled out. The impurities are disposed of with the residual slop from the spirit still operation, that is, the waste material which is thrown out.

The useful spirit, distilled off at between 140 and 142 proof, is now known as whisky, and flows into a spirit vat from where it is put in casks. These casks, generally made of American white oak, vary in size from 33 to 144 American gallons in capacity. The different sizes are used for convenience. They may be new or old, and very often are casks in which Sherry has been shipped. More often than not, the casks have been previously used for maturing whisky.

At the time of barreling the whisky is reduced in proof to 124 to 126.8 by the addition of water. According to Dr. P. Schidrowitz, whose notes are quoted by Peter Valaer in his excellent paper on Scotch whisky, “it is held that the best water is that which its origin as a spring has served with water which has passed through a red granite formation, and which, after rising from its source, passes through peaty country. Such waters are generally very soft, and possess certain qualities which are apparently due to the peaty soil or heather-clad moor through or over which the water passes on its way to the distillery.” The waters of Loch Katrine are reputed to be of the finest for Scotch whisky.

After the process of distillation was discovered, it was inevitable that man should use the product closest at hand, easiest to obtain, and least expensive. As a result, where the grape grows abundantly, brandy is produced; where sugar cane is grown, rum is made; and where there is an abundance of grain, whiskey is distilled.

The Word “Whiskey” – its origin

The word “whiskey” comes from the Celtic uisgebaugh or uisgebeatha, the Caledonian and Hibernian spellings, respectively. However spelled it is Celtic for “water of life.” Whether it was the Scots or the Irish who first used the word or first distilled whiskey is a source of never-ending argument between them.

Uisgebaugh is pronounced-whis-geh-BAW
uis = whis as in whisk
ge = geh as in get
baugh = baw as in ball

The English found the Celtic word too difficult and too long so they shortened and anglicized it to “whisky.” The Scots spell it whisky-while the Irish insist on inserting an “e” -whiskey. The Canadians use the Scotch spelling and we in America use the Irish spelling.

Scotch Whisky

In the beginning, every Highland laird had his own still, and the spirits obtained were rough, harsh, with a smoky pungency appreciated only by the Caledonians. The whiskies were distilled freely and paid no taxes. In 1814, distillation from all stills of less than 500 gallons capacity was prohibited in Scotland, and the law almost caused a revolution. However, the Government finally convinced the irate Highlanders that they would be wiser to sell their whisky legally, and within a few years illicit distilling became a rare thing in Scotland. A similar situation prevailed in Ireland at the same time.

Four regions of Scotland produce whisky: the Highlands, the Lowlands, Campbeltown, and Islay (pronounced I-lay). Each produces a whisky with an individual character.

The French Government has passed laws to protect the public as to what is and is not Cognac. It supplies every purchaser with a certificate, called an Acquit Regional [aune d’Or. This has nothing to do with age; it merely guarantees that the product comes from Cognac. The various qualities of Cognacs are generally indicated by stars: one, two, or three, in ascending quality. All wine people are superstitious. One of their firmest beliefs is that comet years produce fine wines. The legend goes that in the comet year of 1811, when a superb brandy was produced, one of the shippers decided to designate the brandy of that year with a star. An equally excellent brandy was produced in the following year and this he designated by two stars. By this time he had acquired the habit, but fortunately he stopped when he reached five stars. The firm of Hennessy claims to have originated the system. The stars on the label have no age significance. Each house blends its brandies for uniformity of quality, which is maintained year in and year out. The standards represented by the stars vary with the different houses. For instance, all “3 star” brands will not be alike, for with one house it might be a 10 year brandy, with another a 6 year brandy, and with still another a 20 year brandy.

Aside from the matter of stars on the label, all brandy houses handling better quality brandies use letters to indicate quality. And the letters, oddly enough, represent not French words-but English. They represent the following:

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

For instance, when you see on the neck labels of a bottle of Cognac the letters V.S., they mean Very Superior; S.F.C. means Superior Fine Cognac, and so forth.

There is a good deal of misunderstanding about the question of age in Cognac. It improves in the wood for roughly fifty to fifty-five years. The cost of aging the brandy for this length of time is very high, as the losses through evaporation and the risk of aging too long are considerable, and make the ultimate selling prices so excessive that even millionaires would refuse to pay them. Once the Cognac is bottled, it neither varies nor improves. A Cognac bottled in 1900 will taste exactly the same today as it did the day it was placed in the glass.

The romantic nonsense about the 80 and 104 year old so-called Napoleon Brandies is nothing but a come-on for the gullible amateur.

The question naturally arises: “What is the best age for Cognac?” To quote the late M. Georges Roullet of Cognac, France: “Cognac is like a woman. She is at her best between the ages of 25 and 40.” He obviously knew Cognac as well as he knew the ladies.

From the consumer’s point of view, there are several questions which are frequently asked.

“What is Fine Champagne?” This means that the brandies have been made from grapes grown either in the Grande or Petite Champagne; consequently a Fine Champagne Cognac should be very good.

“What is Fine de la Maison?” In France every restaurant includes among its list of brandies a Fine de la Maison. This is its “bar” brandy, and can be anything the worthy boniface wishes to buy. More than likely it will be “everything but” Cognac, and will usually be a sound enough French brandy. It does not mean that it is “Fine Champagne Cognac.” When you order a “Fine” (pronounced feen) all you can expect is brandy of some sort.

As for the “snifters,” they are not best for the appreciation of Cognac. The large body and relatively small opening are good, but the size requires too much to be put into each glass. The glass should never be larger than one capable of being held and warmed in one hand. By the same token avoid the tiny, thimble size one ounce pony or cordial glass.

The question of bottles is also important. An old bottle means nothing. Distilled spirits do not change in corked bottles. Much better is an old brandy from the wood in a gleaming, newly labeled container. Large magnum bottles are bad. It is true that a bottle of Cognac need not be consumed at one sitting like a bottle of wine. However, it stands to reason that the larger the bottle, the longer it remains partly full, and the combination of evaporation and oxidation in contact with air in time results in a flat and lifeless drink.

A good test of a fine Cognac is to empty a glass after it has been thoroughly wetted on the inside by the brandy. The glass will retain its delicious aroma for hours, and even days.

The ancient city of Cognac, on the Charente River, is in the heart of the district which produces the brandies that have carried its fame throughout the world. In fact, they have done the job so well that Cognac is probably the best-known French word in the world. In far-off China, or deep in darkest Africa, the word Cognac will evoke smiles of recognition when any other French word would produce a blank stare.

The story is told of a certain Cardinal who was dining one day in Rome with several other Cardinals, all come to pay their respects to the Holy Father. One of the princes of the Church, turning to the newcomer, asked:

“Where is your See?”

“I am Bishop of Angouleme,” he replied, and then, amused by their blank expressions, he added, with a twinkle in his eye: “I am also Bishop of Cognac!”

Smiles lit up the faces of his brother Cardinals. “Ah, the magnificent bishopric!” they exclaimed.

The Cognac district, the Charentais, has seven subdivisions, which, in the order of quality, are:

1. Grande Champagne
2. Petite Champagne
3. Borderies
4. Fins Bois
5. Bons Bois
6. Bois Ordinaires
7. Bois communs dits a Terroir

The qualities which make Cognac superior to all other brandies are not only the special process of distillation used in this district for centuries, but also the combination of ideal soil, climate, and other conditions. While it might be possible for another section to reproduce one or two of these essentials, the combination of all the factors cannot be achieved elsewhere.

The Cognac region was delimited by law in 1909. The Grande Champagne is a small district which is the kernel of the region. In it lies the town of Cognac about which everything centers, the territory, the commerce, and the fame of the product. Almost completely surrounding it is the Petite Champagne. To the north, and situated about at the point where the encirclement of the Grande Champagne is incomplete, are the Borderies, the smallest district.

Completely surrounding these first three districts are the Fins Bois. Around all these are the Bons Bois. And advancing from the Bons Bois to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, one passes through the Bois Ordinaires and the Bois a Terroir.

If the Bordeaux system of classifying growths were to be followed, one might say that the two Champagnes plus the Borderies would make up the great crus; the Fins Bois, the bourgeois crus; and the last three, the ordinary crus.

The nature of the soil is limy, and the more lime, the finer the wines produced for distillation.

The grape varieties which produce the wine are predominantly the Folle Blanche, with St. Emilion making up 30 to 40 per cent of the total, and an even smaller quantity of Colombar, all white grapes. They produce a white wine which is fruity, thin, and slightly acid, harsh and unpleasant to drink, with an average alcoholic content of 8 to 10 percent.

In Cognac, the little farmer often has his own still. Big shippers very often own a vineyard or two but they cannot possibly own the amount of vineyard land they need to take care of the demand for wine to produce brandy to supply the world. It is the custom in Cognac, therefore, for all the shippers to buy the brandy from the farmer. Each farmer has his little vineyard, gathers his grapes, makes his wine, and distills it as soon as it falls bright or has it distilled for him by one of the regional distillers. Distillation of brandy in France and in Cognac is supervised by Government inspectors. They have padlocks and seals on every one of these stills. At vintage time the inspectors visit each farm, measure the wine, and tell the farmer how much he can distill from such an amount.

The grapes are picked, pressed, and allowed to ferment, then dumped into stills or alembics-skins, pips, and all. These impurities are necessary to give the full character to the brandy. The stills are the old-fashioned pot stills; there are no modern patent stills in Cognac. Naturally, when you have so many different men carrying out this process of distillation, you will have a variety, so each shipper examines and tastes the young, new brandy. Sometimes the farmers will decide to keep a puncheon or so of brandy, but usually they sell it as soon as it has been distilled. At that time, as with other spirits, it is colorless and has a sharp, but fruity, coppery bouquet and taste. This coppery character, “gout de cuivre,” passes after the brandy has been in wood for a year.

At the distillery, the wine is received in large wooden casks, demimuids of about 157 gallons capacity. As the wine producers make wine both for consumption and distillation, there is always the temptation to mix the lees and other deposits from the drinkable wine with the wine to be distilled. The new wine, therefore, passing from the receiving room to the stills, goes through settling basins where gravity draws out the excess impurities. The wine now enters the still.

The distilling apparatus consists of a simple boiler, heated directly by a coal or wood fire. On top of the boiler is a metal hood to collect the vapors before they pass through to the condenser. This condenser is simply a pipe coiled inside of a large container which is continually supplied with cold water to provide the difference in temperature necessary to condense the vapors which then trickle out into a receiving can. All the metal used in a still of this type is pure copper.

The conversion of the wine into eau-de-vie de Charente is accomplished in two operations: the premiere chauffe and the bonne chauffe. The first gives a distillation of about 30 per cent alcoholic strength, which is then redistilled to give the eau-de-vie. The liquid coming from the condenser commences at a very high alcoholic content which eventually goes down to zero when the distillation is finished.

The most important thing in the distillation of Cognac is regularity: regularity of procedure, regularity of heating, and regularity of quantity. The alembics work continuously, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, during the distilling season, which lasts from three to eight months, depending on the quantity of the vintage.

As it comes from the alembic, the brandy is colorless, has about 70 per cent of alcohol, and a fruity, coppery taste and smell which come more from the newly formed ethers than from the copper in the still.

Cognac is aged in casks made of “limousin oak,” obtained from the forest near Limoges. The cooperage must be very good to stand up for 40 to 50 years. The casks are laid away in light-tight cellars or warehouses.

In the cask the Cognac changes by action of the wood and by contact with the oxygen in the air which enters through the pores of the wood, between the staves, and by the bung. In the same way that the air enters, the brandy evaporates, so there is a continual, inevitable loss in volume. As the alcohol evaporates more rapidly than the water and other constituents of the brandy, there is also a diminution of strength, rapid during the first few years, becoming more gradual after that, the average being about 1 per cent per year. During this time the brandy gradually changes from a colorless state, taking on a beautiful amber tone, and the taste and perfume are changed, so that which finally results is a finished Cognac, a delicate mellow liqueur with a natural bouquet of grape blossoms.

Today the demand is for qualities which remain the same, year in and year out, and therefore there are few vintage Cognacs in existence. This requires large stocks being held by the brandy merchant, and judicious and exact blending.

This coupage, or blending, is done many months before bottling. The various brandies are put into tremendous oaken vats, brought down to shipping strength-from 40 to 43 per cent alcohol as required-by the addition of distilled water. Coloring matter (caramel) is added to assure uniform color in every bottle. Inside these vats, wooden, propeller-like paddles rotate from time to time, thoroughly mixing the brandies. In several months’ time, the blend, thoroughly “married,” is put in bottles, cased, and is ready for market.

Brandy is a potable spirit obtained from the distillation of wine or a fermented mash of fruit, which usually has been suitably aged in wood. An alcoholic beverage answering this description may be produced in any part of the world, except Little America. However, when we say brandy, we usually mean the delightful “soul” of wine. In this sense, brandy is distilled wherever wine grapes grow and are pressed. There is one brandy which the world has accepted and recognized as superior to all others. This is Cognac brandy.

It is important to understand that all Cognac is brandy, but all brandies are not Cognac. Cognac is a brandy distilled from wines made of grapes grown within the legal limits of the Charente and Charente Inferieure Departments of France. Brandies distilled from wines other than these are not legally entitled to the name Cognac, even though they be shipped from the city of Cognac, by a recognized and reputable Cognac shipper.

History

The art of distillation, although known to the ancients, was not applied to wine commercially until the sixteenth century, when the brandy trade began. According to legend, a brisk trade in wine existed between the port of La Rochelle, on the Charente River, and Holland. All of this trade was carried on by sea, and the perils of war, which were great then as they are now, placed a premium on shipping.

Casks of wine take up quite a lot of space, particularly if you are using small sailing vessels. So the story is told of one very bright Dutch shipmaster who hit upon the idea of concentrating the wine-eliminating the water transporting the spirit, or the “soul,” of the wine to Holland, where the water could be put back. In his thrifty mind he figured that he could save an enormous amount on the freight charges.

When this enterprising man arrived in Holland, however, with his “concentrated wine,” his Dutch friends tasted it and liked it as it was. It would be a waste of water, they decided, to try to make it wine again. And thus the brandy trade had its inception. The Dutch called the new product brandewijn (burnt wine), presumably because fire, or heat, is used in the process of distillation. In time this term was Anglicized to the present-day word-brandy.

Alcohol is absorbed, in its original state, from the stomach directly into the blood stream.
Alcohol does not physically damage any of the healthy important organs of the body, such as the heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, brain, or nervous system.

The normal alcoholic strength of human blood (teetotalers included) is .003 per cent. In the average adult, the lethal limit is around .7 per cent.

Alcohol produces energy without making the body work, because it is taken into the blood stream in its original state. Alcohol itself does not produce fat. Other foods, which would normally produce the energy needed by the body, are stored, as an energy reserve, in the form of fat by those who drink regularly in substantial amounts.

The part of the body most quickly and directly affected by alcohol is the brain. Its effect, both on the brain and the nervous system, is relaxing, not stimulating.

Excess of alcohol once absorbed cannot be “worked off” except by oxidation and excretion. The normal rate of elimination is about 10 c.c. (This is one third of an ounce of absolute alcohol) per hour and this remains constant, whether you lie in bed, walk around in the open, or sit in a Turkish bath.

The best insulation against the effects of over-indulgence is food to line the walls of the stomach. The best food is the fat of milk. In the order of their protection value, these are the foods you can take: cream, whole milk, butter, meat fats, olive oil, and meat.

The heart of a hang-over is fatigue poison, lactic acid, physiologically induced by the alcohol. The only cure is rest and time.

There is no evidence that alcohol in itself causes any disease.

The principal danger of too much alcohol is social. One who is drunk whether from imbibing one or ten drinks, has a narcotized brain-one which is not awake. In a moment of crisis, when a quick decision is necessary, the part of the brain which reasons may be awake, while the part which commands the muscles may be asleep, or vice versa. The result in either case is trouble.

Alcohol is prescribed in many ailments, but is proscribed in some for which the layman believes it most valuable. These are shock, snake bite, fatigue and colds. In the first two the blood pressure is lowered. That’s what alcohol does to you. Fatigue means that you have too much lactic acid in the system and alcohol adds to it.

The conclusion one reaches from the assembled evidence is that alcoholic beverages in themselves, even when consumed in large quantities, are neither damaging nor harmful to man, physically. When taken temperately, they are beneficial.

We do not advocate that anyone drink for the “kick.” Drinking should be done for pleasure, relaxation, and the release to which the beverage contributes; it should be made a part of the good life.