Fine brandies often undergo this process twice in small batches, while mass-produced brandies are usually distilled only once. In either case, the brandy comes out clear and is transferred to wood ...

But hope is not lost for lovers of fine French brandy. As with many French wine-and-spirits designations, cognac is the name of a place, and just to the south of Cognac, in Gascony, is Armagnac.