Talk:Brandy

Discussion header

Removed Spanish portal entry as I cannot see any references to spain in the document. --90.210.5.54 (talk) 20:34, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Someone deleted my entire musical history of Brandy. "Brandy" should have her own entry under "Brandy", not "Brandy Norwood", because her official performing name is just "Brandy".

Can someone please address Brandy the entertainer at the top of this page. It was once there and now is gone. It should be there. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kylemmenard (talk • contribs) 03:12, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

It's under Brandy (singer), but Brandy Norwood needs to be merged. --- Zoe

Which one has a more distinct taste?

"Napoleon" as a classification of Cognac is mentioned but not defined. Whatsit mean? What's "Napoleon Brandy"? Inbibing minds want to know. KarlBunker 14:11, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

"Napoleon Brandy" is a brand of French brandy from Alsace! It isn't a Cognac! However, I think this French brandy is only available in Europe and in my opinion its quality is quite poor, compared to Cognac or Armagnac. That "Napoleon" as a classification of Cognac isn't defined means: A "Napoleon Cognac" can be a Cognac where the youngest brandy is stored 6 1/2 years + 1 day in cask - or very much longer! It depends in fact on the traditions of the respective brand. 86.56.0.159 00:02, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

The "VS" ranking here conflicts with the "VS" ranking for Cognac. Which one is correct?

Image Request

• Can somebody add an image to this article to show what brandy itself actually looks like, in a brandy glass Yeanold Viskersenn 15:18, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Sweetness

Does brandy's sweetness come from the presence of any residual sugars, or are there other flavor elements that make it seem sweeter than whisky or other similar spirits? 69.81.154.24 07:41, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Value of old Brandy

Is there anybody out there that could help me to determine the value of two bottles of unopened brandy that I have. They are Metaxa Greek Brandy, bottled in 1915. Any help would be appreciated.

Fruit brandy

There is apparently some disagreement to the first paragraph of the fruit brandy section. Here is what I removed from the article:

• • • this paragraph is totaly wrong, we need a specialist to rewrite it. This is not clear what Fruit Brandy is but Palinka and slivovica are definitively not, they are just normal spirits made from fruits. And you don't drink them chilled or iced. Same for calvados.

A generally accepted definition of the term Fruit Brandy is very difficult. For inctance in the US Kirschwasser is considered to be a Fruit Brandy but in Germany it's considered to be a variety of traditional German schnapps, and traditional schnapps isn't brandy, it's just a type of normal spirits. The same is true for many other so called Fruit Brandies, in very most English speaking countries they are called Fruit Brandies, but in their respective countries of origin they are condidered to be normal spirits. 86.56.0.159 00:02, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

• • • May be it is just language problem. According EU definition, only wine brandy is brandy. The term "fruit brandy" is similar as "fruite wine". Fruite wine is not wine and fruite brandy is not brandy. It is just exerted term, but not legislatively correct.

Hungar term palinka from Slovak palenka means generally distillate or spirit (drink prepared by destilation). Palenka is from palit (to burn as folk term meaning to distill) Slivovica means spirit prepared from plum. Suffix -ovica in slovak language. Appricot is marhula. Marhul-ovica is spirit from appricot etc.

• • • And you don't drink them chilled or iced. Same for calvados. It is not important for definition. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.5.210.202 (talk) 12:13, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

• • • Additionally the statement about proof needs clarification - even though it has a link to the proof article. American proof is 1:2 for ABV and EU proof or British proof is 4:7 ABV. This is not an American encyclopaedia!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Geejayoh (talk • contribs) 03:54, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

How do you like this passage?

See this passage from the article:

Jezynowka (yedga-noov-ka) is a Polish Blackberry Brandy. It is often toasted with the saying "Nozdrovia" or for non-fluent Pollocks "Nice Driveway" however it is just a way to say "Cheers".

Cultural image of brandy drinkers?

Like most alcoholic beverages, brandy can the drinker as being a certain type of person. I couldn't find any information outside of vague college anecdotes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.202.27.131 (talk) 04:21, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

Distillation Section

The distillation section had an unclear tag, so I rewrote it and removed the tag. This is clearer, at least to me, but changes are welcome.ThisIsMyWikipediaName (talk) 18:41, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

History section

See this passage from the Internet about the history of brandy in China. :

Readers will be doubly surprised to learn that the Chinese invented brandy, because though the fact in itself is impressive enough, it is not widely realized that the Chinese drank wine made from grapes at all, much less distilled it into brandy. Grape wine was being drunk by the second century BC at the latest in China, since we begin to have textual evidence of it by then. The envoy and traveller Chang Ch'ien brought good wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) back with him from Bactria about 126 BC. Before the importation of those grapes, however, there were wild vine species, or 'mountain grapes', which were already being used for wine, namely Vitis thunbergii and Vitas filifolia. Wine made from them is mentioned before Chang Ch'ien in the book called Classical Pharmacopoeia of the Heavenly Husbandman. The fact that an even stronger drink could be obtained from wine first came to attention through the production of `frozen-out wine' among the Central Asian tribes.It was presumably this to which. Chang Hua was referring in 290 AD in his book Records of the Investigation of Things, when he said: `The Western regions have a wine made from grapes which will keep good for years, as much as ten years, it is commonly said; and if one drinks of it, one will not get over one's drunkenness for days. The tribal peoples of Kao-Ch'ang (Turfan) presented `frozen-out wine' as tribute to Chinese emperors more than once, commencing in 520 AD.

Distilled wine, or brandy, was known in China as `burnt wine'. The English word

`brandy' itself comes from the Dutch brandewijn (`burnt wine'). And the German word for brandy or spirits is Branntwein (`burnt wine'), while a distiller is a Branntweinbrenner (`burnt wine burner'). It is possible that all of these words result from a direct translation of the Chinese shao chiu (`burnt wine') by Dutch sailors. If not, they are a curious coincidence indeed. http://www.eykhoff.nl/Wine%20in%20China.pdf --Wine is slime (talk) 22:05, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Fernand Braudel's Structures of Everyday Life Chapter 3 Food and Drink states Chinese wines were made from millet or rice and were often flavored with fruits. Chinese grape wine was a grape flavored beer. The Persians and Chinese were distilling Camphor by the 9th century but whether they were making distilled brandy before the 11th (when it was made in Europe) is unknown. It was medicinal until the near the end of the 15th century. In 1514 the guild of vinegar makers were given the privilege of distilling in France by Louis XII. Braudel makes a convincing case for the spread of brandy as a popular drink belonging to the 16th and not the 15th century. Nitpyck (talk) 19:44, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

Apple Jack

I am unaware of any commercial Apple Jack produced by freeze distillation. Nitpyck (talk) 16:15, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Medicinal use?

I have come across in literature (mostly fiction, largely the Sherlock Holmes series) many references to brandy being used in some medicinal capacity. Is there any truth to this and it has just been omitted, or is this complete and utter falsehood? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mewtroid (talk • contribs) 00:25, 5 February 2010 (UTC)

I believe that distilled spirits were used in the medicinal sense when they first became common sometime in the middle ages and the habit of using them that way stuck. I've noticed the use in literature and television as well. Spirits seem to be seen as being fortifying for someone who has just received a shock (mental or physical). It depresses the central nervous system, doesn't it? Maybe it helps with tremors. MultK (talk) 23:26, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

Slivovitz

Are the four separate entries for various slivovitz spellings in the list of fruit brandies really necessary?--89.216.166.56 (talk) 14:10, 2 May 2010 (UTC)

'Napoleon' Brandy

Napoleon brandy is not defined.

The only reference is: X.O.: "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged at least six years, Napoleon at least four years. (Frankly, that doesn't event make much sense. If Napoleon brandy belongs in the set of (X.O.), then it should be aged at least six years, not at least four years. Or is there some special quality to it (fermentation process, region of origin, type of grape, etc) that makes it fit in with Extra Old and Vieille Reserve brandies?)

I think it would be useful if somebody with more understanding expanded this.