Armagnac
The spirited brandy of southern France produced in the region of Gascony, home of the "Three Musketeers". The armagnac region is divided into three growing zones: Haut-Armagnac to the east, Tenareze in the center, and Bas-Armagnac to the west. One sub-region omitted in the legislation is, what used to be called the Grand Bas Armagnac.
True connoisseurs insist that this small north/west corner in Bas-Armagnac produces the very best and it shows in the price, often double.Further on you will read more on Grand Bas Armagnac, represented in our range by Lacourtoisie and Francis Darroze's various small producers.
Armagnac is the most noble and most ancient of brandies. The still, introduced bye the arabs, was first used in the region in 1411. In 1411, "alchemist Recipes", the famous manuscript by Auch, describes some thirty uses of brandy as a medicine. Thus was born Armagnac.
Unlike Cognac, Armagnac undergoes a single distillation. Armagnac is also distilled at a lower temperature than cognac. This gives armagnac a fuller, more earthy aroma and lavor. Following distillation, the armagnac is aged in Limousin or Monlezun oak.
See further examples of complex aged spirits :