Brandy (Fr. cau de vie) is a term properly restricted to the liquid obtained by distilling the fermented juice of the grape. The fermented liquors or wines which are employed for that purpose are various, and contain a proportion of Alcohol (q.v.), which runs from 10 to 25 per cent. of their weight. The red wines generally are preferred. In the 17th century, French brandy was made only from white wine. About 1000 gallons of wine give by distillation from 100 to 150 gallons of brandy, which varies in strength, but is generally diluted with water till it contains from 50 to 54 per cent. by weight of absolute alcohol. When originally distilled, brandy is clear and colourless, and if wished to remain so, is received and kept in glass vessels; but when placed in wooden casks, the spirit dissolves out the colouring matter of the wood, and acquires a light sherry tint, which may be deepened by burnt sugar and other colouring matter, intentionally added by the dealers. The pleasant aroma of brandy is due to the presence of more or less Fusel Oil (q.v.) accompanied by (Enanthic Ether (q.v.), derived from a volatile oil in the husk of the grape. The most famous brandy is that distilled in the country round Cognac, in Charente, in the west of France, from the choicest wines, but comparatively little of that sold under the name of Cognac comes from this district. Armagnac is the brandy of another district. Since the vines of
France have suffered from oidium, phylloxera, and mildew, only a very small proportion of what is imported and sold as Cognac is made from wine, or even from cider, grape refuse, wine lees, and fruit. A British consular report from La Rochelle in 1887 affirms that most French houses (except a few of the most respectable) import potato-spirit in large quantities from Germany, and re-ship it to England as French brandy; beetroot-spirit is also much used; the coarse spirit being flavoured with cananthic ether, with Cognac oil (made from palm oil), the essential oil distilled from husks of the grape, and other flavouring matters. From 500,000 to 700,000 gallons of brandy are annually distilled in Portugal, almost exclusively from white grapes (which contain more alcohol than red ones), and a small quantity is also made from grape refuse (mare). To produce 1 gallon of this brandy, 5 to 7½ gallons of wine are required. This brandy contains 75 per cent. of absolute alcohol (33 over proof of Sykes); and is principally used in checking fermentation in wine-making, and in preserving the sweetness of Portuguese wine. Some of the brandy sold in Great Britain and Ireland is prepared at home from ordinary grain-alcohol, by adding thereto Argol (q.v.), bruised French plums, some French wine-vinegar, a little good Cognac, and redistilling. The Germans use the name Branntwein for all kinds of grain-spirit, or that distilled from plums, blue-berries, &c. Kirschwasser or kirschbranntwein is distilled from cherries and their kernels. In England, cherry-brandy is brandy in which cherries have been steeped and preserved. In the United States, brandy is also made from cherries, apples, pears, and peaches; and the States export much common whisky to France, which is reimported as brandy. Brandy is frequently administered as a stimulant, and in cases of suspended animation, exhaustion, and in mild diarrhea. It may be used externally for checking hemorrhage, and for hardening tender skin. See ALCOHOL (USES OF), DISTILLATION, WINE.
The duty on brandy imported into Great Britain, which from 1814 had been as high as 22s. 10d. a gallon, was reduced in 1846 to 15s., and in 1860 to 8s. 2d., but was soon afterwards raised to 10s. 5d., and remained at this till June 1881, when it was reduced to 10s. 4d. The consumption in the United Kingdom from 1822 to 1862 averaged about 1,400,000 gallons; and for the ten years ending December 31, 1887, 3,058,987 gallons. The import in 1891 was 3,162,548 gallons, worth £1,419,028; and in 1892 it was 2,986,366 gallons, worth £1,346,763.