Well-kept secret

Armagnac does not have the profile of its well-known relation cognac but producers are on a mission to change that. Ben McFarland explains.

Armagnac may not be as well known as its bigger brandy brother, cognac, but it's older and arguably, that bit more complex and flavoursome. While cognac has blazed a trail around the globe with its big brands, lavish horse races and fancy bottles, its rather more understated counterpart has strangely failed to roam much beyond its native shores.

Is this because of some dastardly plot whereby the French keep all the good stuff for themselves? Perhaps, but more plausible reasons are likely.

Firstly, Gascony, the tiny corner of South-West France where armagnac is sourced, is rather tricky to get to. So remote is the area, it makes the Lake District seem like a sprawling metropolis and, historically, this land-locked seclusion has proved an obstacle to armagnac's worldwide growth.

Cognac's relatively accessible position by the sea, meanwhile, allowed it to steal a march on armagnac and by the late 17th century it had overtaken its counterpart and become the chosen spirit of European kings, queens and upper class folk.

A further reason why most of the six million bottles produced each year are drunk in France itself is that the making of armagnac remains in the hands of more than a 1,000 independent producers.

Unlike cognac, whose multi-million pound household brand names such as Martell, Hennessy and Courvoisier can spread the word on a worldwide scale, armagnac producers are most often farmers with small vineyards and even smaller marketing budgets.

However, the producers are embarking on a collective effort to raise the profile of armagnac in the UK where the market is small but growing at around 16 per cent a year.

The Bureau National Interprofessionnel de L'Armagnac (BNIA) is looking to raise education among both drinkers and licensees in the hope that armagnac can shed its image as a fuddy-duddy spirit that is only really dusted down and consumed as a fancy after-dinner drink.

One of the initiatives that the French are getting rather excited about is the imminent launch of what they called "La Blanche".

This clear, crisp and rather fiery "white armagnac" is essentially immature eau de vie that would normally be destined for the oak barrel and a life as armagnac of the amber-coloured variety.

The idea, albeit a rather grand one, is to position La Blanche as a thinking man's alternative to vodka in the more accessible white spirit sector. The French already consume it as either a palate-cleanser - to cut through the artery-clogging local delicacies of foie gras and confit de canard - or infused with fruit, in a pokey punch called "brulot".

"La Blanche is a fantastic cocktail base and is a great alternative to vodka," says Yves Demoura, the cellarmaster at the Domaine de Papolle. "Armagnac should be drunk like a malt whisky and it would be a shame to mix it. La Blanche, however, is different. You can be more experimental and we've got high hopes for it."

What is armagnac?​

Much like champagne and camembert, armagnac has an Appellation Control meaning that it must be produced from grapes grown in the Armagnac region.

The region of Armagnac is divided into three parts: Bas-Armagnac, Tenareze and Haut Armagnac. Most of the good stuff derives from the first two areas and, although producers can choose from around a dozen, they rarely venture beyond a core four grape varieties: folle blanche, colombard, ugni blanc and the bacot 22A.

Thanks to Armagnac's mild climate, these grapes yield a high level of alcohol yet retain a good acidic content which is ideal for distillation.

Thomas Gausch (pictured)​, of the top-end Domaine de Baron de Sigognac, explains: "Bacot doesn't make a good wine but when you distil it, it is very good. Very fine, very delicate and pure. It's a very robust grape that is easy to grow.

"The colombard is less fine but it makes a good wine. It's a bit harsh for armagnac when it's young but people really like it when it matures."

He continues: "As for folle blanche, it's very floral and many people say it's the best but it's very difficult to grow and it's very sensitive to weather and disease. We get the best armagnacs from ugni blanc and bacot - they give a fruity taste and that is what we like."

Bas Armagnac is made up of sandy and clay soils, which produce fruity, light, delicate and highly praised spirits that mature quickly while the area of Tenareze contains more chalk and limestone and is home to more rounded, rich and full-bodied armagnacs which reach maturity after a long period of ageing.

What's the difference between cognac and armagnac?​

Flowery comparisons between the two French brandies are always being made. An age-old adage is that cognac is like a fresh young girl, but armagnac is like a woman of a certain age that you don't wish to take home to meet your mother.

"Cognac is to armagnac as silk is to velvet," says Thomas Gausch. "It is much richer, complex and fruity. If cognac is hip-hop then armagnac is jazz."

A more precise explanation, albeit less elaborate, has to do with the method of distillation.

While cognacs are made in pot stills, nearly all armagnac is produced by a continuous distillation method in a small column still. Known as an alambic armagnacais, these stills are generally very small and, as such, allow more of the grape to come through.

So small are these alambic armagnacais that in October and December, when distillation takes place, they can be seen rattling around the countryside on wheels going from one producer to another. Their lack of size mean that the eau de vie comes off the still at a lower strength than a typical cognac, which makes the spirit better equipped for longer ageing so it can spend up to 40 years in the cask. It also gives armagnac a richer, fruitier, earthier character.

Another point of difference is that the blending of eau de vies is postponed, making it possible for producers to release vintage armagnacs similar to malt whiskies.

Where to buy armagnac in the UK:​ a selection of importers

• Winefare Agencies Ltd
  The Church
  172 London Rd
  Guildford
  Surrey
  GU1 1XR
  Tel: 01483 458700

Eaux de Vie Limited
3 Harcourt St
London W1H 4EY
Tel: 0207 724 5009

Hallamshire Wine Shipping
Bank House
High St
Ecclesfield
Sheffield
S30 3XB
Tel: 0114 257 1202

John E Fells & Sons
Fells House
Prince Edward St
Berkhamsted
HP4 3EZ
Tel: 0144 287 0900

Thorman Hunt & Co Ltd
4 Pratt Walk
Lambeth
London SE11 6AR
Tel: 0207 735 6511
Smallridge Prestige Vintners
Pillfarm Lake
Barnstaple
EX31 3HT
Tel: 0127 134 3740

Lane & Tatham,
12 Market Place
Devizes
Wiltshire
SN10 1HT
Tel: 0138 072 0123

Compass Cognac Company
28 Amberley Way
Wickwar
Sth Glos GL12 8LP
Tel: 01454 294328