Brandy
Brandy is wine, distilled and then aged in oak, and under the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008 the word on its own means grape brandy of at least 36% ABV, matured for six months or more. Our recipes assume 40%. It is the warm, dried-fruit base of milk punch, eggnog and mulled wine, where a sound young bottle serves better than an expensive old one.
Quick Facts
Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use to preserve aromatics.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Brandy
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Rounded fruit sweetness with notes of dried grape, caramel, vanilla, and gentle oak spice. Warming and smooth with a medium body.
In British law, brandy means grape spirit aged in oak
GB spirit drink law, retained from EU Regulation 110/2008, gives the word a narrow meaning. Brandy is made from wine spirit, aged at least a year in oak or six months in casks under 1,000 litres, bottled at 36% ABV or more and never flavoured; caramel is allowed only for colour. Spirits distilled from other fruit carry other names, and the sweet bottles labelled cherry or apricot brandy are liqueurs.
Wine spirit, cognac and grappa sit beside it
Wine spirit is the unaged step before brandy: distilled from wine at under 86%, at least 37.5%, with no oak required. Cognac is legally a wine spirit with a protected name and stricter rules, and Brandy de Jerez is a protected brandy from Spain. Grappa is distilled from grape marc, the solids left in the press, which puts it in a category of its own.
Grape and fruit spirits in GB law, from the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, Annex II, with the cognac and calvados rules from INAO’s specifications.
Brandy
- Distilled from
- Wine spirit, with some wine distillate allowed
- Minimum strength
- 36%
- Oak required
- A year, or six months in casks under 1,000 litres
Wine spirit
- Distilled from
- Wine
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Oak required
- No
Cognac (protected name)
- Distilled from
- White wine from the Cognac area, distilled twice
- Minimum strength
- 40%
- Oak required
- At least two years
Grape marc spirit, such as grappa
- Distilled from
- Skins and pips left after pressing
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Oak required
- No
Cider spirit, such as calvados
- Distilled from
- Cider or perry
- Minimum strength
- 37.5%
- Oak required
- Not in law; calvados needs two years
| Name on the label | Distilled from | Minimum strength | Oak required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandy | Wine spirit, with some wine distillate allowed | 36% | A year, or six months in casks under 1,000 litres |
| Wine spirit | Wine | 37.5% | No |
| Cognac (protected name) | White wine from the Cognac area, distilled twice | 40% | At least two years |
| Grape marc spirit, such as grappa | Skins and pips left after pressing | 37.5% | No |
| Cider spirit, such as calvados | Cider or perry | 37.5% | Not in law; calvados needs two years |
Our recipes reach for it where spice, cream or fruit lead
Plain brandy appears in eight of our recipes, mostly ones that bury the detail of the spirit: the Brandy Milk Punch, eggnog, mulled wine and sangria, with smaller shares in the Suffering Bastard and the Porto Flip. Where the spirit leads and has nowhere to hide, our recipes ask for cognac instead.
Buy a young bottle at 40% for these drinks. We keep an opened bottle for years, so one bottle covers a winter of punches.
Using Brandy
Usage
Our recipes pour it at 40%: 50ml in a Brandy Milk Punch, 30ml in eggnog, 25ml a glass in sangria and 150ml across a bottle of mulled wine. Use a young, unfussy bottle; spice, cream and fruit cover the detail an older one is priced for.
Pro Tip
When a recipe says brandy and you only have cognac, use it: cognac is brandy made under stricter rules. A thin, cheap brandy shows most where nothing else in the glass covers it, as in a milk punch, so spend a little more there than on sangria.
Top Tips
- Read the second line of the label. Cognac and armagnac, protected wine spirits, and Brandy de Jerez, a protected brandy, have rules of their own, as the GB register on GOV.UK records; plain brandy can come from anywhere wine is made.
- For sangria, a Spanish brandy suits the wine, though any decent grape brandy will do.
- Keep hot brandy drinks at a bare steam. Our mulled wine is never allowed to boil, because the alcohol and aroma go first.
- Cap it tightly and store it upright. Brandy does not improve in glass, and a loose cap lets the aroma escape.
Possible Substitutions
- Cognac: A brandy made under stricter rules; use it measure for measure
Production Method
Under Regulation (EC) 110/2008, wine is distilled into wine spirit, which may be combined with a stronger wine distillate making up no more than half the alcohol, then aged at least a year in oak, or six months in casks under 1,000 litres. Regulation (EC) 110/2008 allows caramel for colour and bars flavouring.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is brandy?
How is brandy different from cognac?
How strong is brandy?
Is cherry brandy or apricot brandy a real brandy?
What kind of brandy should I use for cocktails?
Can you put brandy in mulled wine?
Does brandy go off once opened?
What is pomace brandy?
Sources.
Correct as of 16 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)”.
- GOV.UK, “Eau-de-vie de Cognac / Eau-de-vie des Charentes / Cognac: protected spirit drink name”.
- GOV.UK, “Brandy de Jerez: protected spirit drink name”.
- GOV.UK, “Armagnac: protected spirit drink name”.
- GOV.UK, “Grappa: protected spirit drink name”.
- INAO, “Cahier des charges de l’appellation d’origine contrôlée Cognac”.
- INAO, “Cahier des charges de l’appellation d’origine contrôlée Calvados”.
Made with Brandy
Featured In These Cocktails
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Often Used With
Updated 16 October 2026