Brandy

Distilled from wine (fermented grape juice) or other fermented fruit juices, brandy is classified by these labels: E—extra special, F—fine, M—mellow, O—old, P—pale, S—superior, V—very, and X—extra. V.S.O.P. stands for “very superior old pale.” These letters refer to the degree of aging, and the designations are regulated differently for American-produced brandy than for the famous regionally produced brandies of France, such as Armagnac and Cognac. The word brandy derives from original terms for the procedure used to distill it. The fermented juice is heated to separate the alcohol; this process is known as burning. The Dutch first named it brandewijn, meaning “burnt wine,” which was adapted by the English to bran-dewine and later shortened to brandy as early as the mid-1600s. See Applejack, Armagnac, Calvados, Cognac, Fraise des bois, Framboise, Grappa, Kirschwasser, Metaxa, Mirabelle, Pisco, and Poire Williams.