The Difference Between Whiskey And Brandy

A few days ago, a drinking friend asked about the difference between whiskey and brandy. Indeed, since both whiskey and brandy are distilled spirits matured in oak barrels, the color and luster are given by the oak barrels, and most of the flavor comes from the oak barrels. Therefore, the colors are basically the same (to use a recently popular term, "Maillard color" "), the flavor is also similar, and the alcohol content is also similar (the alcohol content of brandy is generally between 40 and 43%vol, and the alcohol content of regular OB whiskey is generally 40%vol or 43%vol), Not only are they difficult to distinguish in appearance, but their flavor can also easily confuse newbies.

Simply put, the most fundamental difference between whiskey and brandy is the ingredients. Whether it is malt whiskey or grain whiskey, the raw materials used are various grains, such as barley, corn, rye, wheat, etc.; and brandy originally refers to distilled liquor based on fruits, but now it is often used to refer directly to grapes. Distilled liquor, distilled liquor with other fruits as raw materials, now usually has the name of the fruit in front of "brandy", such as apple brandy, cherry brandy, etc. Therefore, the raw materials of brandy are various fruits.

(There is another type of brandy - Marc Brandy), which is a spirit distilled from the residue left after making wine, that is, a spirit distilled from the peel, pulp, seeds and stems of the fruit. "Marc" is in It means dregs in French, so this brandy is also called pomace brandy. In Italy, this wine is called Grappa.)

Differences in raw materials will naturally lead to differences in flavor. At first glance, whiskey and brandy are both flavors brought by various oak barrels, but the aftertaste of whiskey has the aroma of grains, or grains, such as the aroma of cooking grains, baking, etc.; while the aftertaste of brandy the aftertaste is more of a fruity aroma.

Of course, the most important thing for wine lovers is how to distinguish them when drinking. Since there are differences in flavor between specific whiskeys or brandies, some of which are quite large, there is no way to specify them. The simplest way to distinguish them is to find standard samples, that is, to find a classic whiskey and brandy respectively, and conduct tests on them. Compare and taste, feel the difference in aroma and taste, use this as a benchmark, be aware of it, and then make analogies.

Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Cask and Hennessy XO