A global awakening of interest in craft distilled spirits is drastically changing the landscape for brandy, one of the oldest and most noble of them all.

For years now, brandy has been the underdog of the brown spirits world – a muddied sector of poor standards, questionable quality and enough flavourants and additives to easily destabilise the more reputable side of it’s global image.

This has led to a chronic decline in global consumption in the past 20 years and – bar only Cognac – seen the demise of a spirit once considered the most noble of them all. But it isn’t all doom and gloom any more. Driven by a rapid renaissance in craft spirits appreciation around the world, the interest in brandy is back on the rise and looks set only to grow from here.

A BILLION DOLLAR MISUNDERSTANDING

According to Rabbobank’s 2015 report, Between Boring and Bling – Opportunities in the US Brandy Market there is a potential 1 billion dollar hole in the US market for premium brandy just waiting to be filled. This gap specifically emerged due to the common misconception that Brandy and Cognac are different spirits, with each acquiring their own niche target markets as a result.

As a result of this misunderstanding, a “hole” exists in the millions of spirit drinkers who fall between these two opposites of low end pouring and mixing brandy, and top end super premium sipping Cognac. A clear opportunity then, at a much needed time in brandy’s turbulent history. Where then, will the supply come from? Many countries around the world produce exceptional quality brandy, certainly up there to rival the global Cognac giant in quality, if not yet in volume: