THE PRODUCTION OF COGNAC BRANDY. 431 



to a high degree, and afterward to a lower. At the end of several 

 minutes a few drops of white, translucent liquid issue from the pipe 

 of the worm, increasing soon to a little streamlet, which falls into a 

 small cask. This liquid contains about half its weight of water, and 

 is called the broulllis. It continues to flow until it becomes gradu- 

 ally less alcoholic, wdien a momentary pause occurs in the operation. 

 A tap at the bottom of the retort is opened and the boiled w r ine, a 

 brownish liquid, is either put back into the reservoir or allowed to 

 run away. The wine from the reservoir is then turned into the 

 retort until the latter is about two-thirds full. The same process is 

 repeated, day and night, until all the wine has been converted into 

 brouUlis, which, being rectified, is then ready for delivery to the 

 Cognac-brandy shippers as eau de vie. The proportion of brandy 

 yielded by the wine is not fixed, but variable with certain circum- 

 stances. In a vintage of good quality it is one gallon of brandy to 

 six or eight of wine ; but in unfavorable seasons it is not more than 

 one to seven and a half or twelve. Newly-made wine furnishes more 

 spirit than wine twelve months old; and wine fermented in large bulk 

 more, in proportion, than that fermented in small casks. 



Cognac brandy is at first a colorless liquid, but it gradually ac- 

 quires a pale yellow or amber color from the cask in which it is kept 

 for ageing. With its natural appearance, however, it never appears 

 to the consumer ; public taste having become vitiated to the extent 

 of requiring a rich brown or brandy color, which is imparted 'by a 

 mixture of caramel or burnt sugar. Occasionally, too, a little red 

 sanders-wood is used for coloring. The constituents are alcohol and 

 water and small quantities of volatile oil, acetic acid, acetic ether, 

 cenanthic ether, tannin, etc., and, as it reaches the consumer, col- 

 oring matter. The quantity of alcohol varies from 48 to 55 per 

 cent. ; the latter being the standard strength, or " proof." It is 

 generally imported into England at 1 to 3 over proof, but the 

 strength is lessened by age, so that, when taken from bond for sale, 

 it seldom exceeds 3 or 4 under proof. The quality of the brandy 

 depends not, as may be generally supposed, on the quantity of 

 alcohol it contains, so much as on the minor constituents, notably the 

 cenanthic ether, from which it derives its distinguishing smell and 

 flavor. This fact becomes apparent when it is reflected that, while 

 brandy, as is well known, improves with age, it loses thereby a part 

 of its alcoholic strength. The very finest brandies, in fact, average 

 from 5 to 10 under proof, and never rise above 2 under proof. In 

 this connection, one or two interesting facts may be noted. It has 

 already been stated that the grape from which the finest Cognac 

 brandy is obtained yields at best an inferior wine. Now, the best 

 wine-making grapes contain a comparatively large proportion of 

 sugar, which varies from 12 to 20 and 30 per cent., and it is the 

 sugar that in fermentation is converted into alcohol. The fotte 



