10 Armagnacs Worth Trying This Year

If you’re a fan of aged spirits, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve enjoyed a glass of cognac or two over the years. The popular lightly fruity, smooth, complex brandy made from white wine grapes is the first spirit most drinkers imagine when they think of France. But not only is it not the only brandy from the European country, but it’s also not the first.

“Armagnac is France’s oldest brandy, predating Cognac by 150 years,” says Armagnac expert Amanda Garnham. “Yet Armagnac is also a region in the often-forgotten corner of southwest France that is steeped in history and tradition.”

The Armagnac region is a rural farming area. It doesn’t have the global esteem like Cognac does, but it doesn’t make it any less noteworthy.

“Healthy sustenance is important and drinking Armagnac is very much part of daily life when after a substantial lunch and the final coffee, a good glug of Armagnac is poured into the empty but still warm coffee cup to be enjoyed before they return to their labors in the fields or vines,” says Garnham.

While the world has embraced cognac for as long as spirits have been sipped on cool evenings, Armagnac has historically been mostly only enjoyed in France itself. But little by little, this is changing.

But, before you go out and buy a bottle, you should have a little bit of background on the lesser-known French brandy.

While cognac is mostly made from Ugni blanc grapes, Armagnac can be made from ten different grape varieties. Armagnac is also distilled to a lower degree of alcohol. This allows eau-de-vie to retain more of its aroma, flavor, and character as opposed to purifying it the way cognac does. Even still, Armagnacs are typically higher in alcohol than their Cognac counterparts with an alcohol content between 50-60 percent. Although you can find many at around 40 percent as well.

Like with cognac, Armagnac’s production is heavily regulated by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac. The group oversees the production process and guarantees strict rules are met in the three specific Armagnac growth areas of Haut-Armagnac, Ténarèze, and Bas-Armagnac. Also, each growth area has its own rules and regulations. Armagnac grapes are grown in sandy soil while cognac grapes are grown in chalky soil.

There are other differences and similarities between the two, but now that we’ve learned a little bit about this unique spirit, it’s time to drink some.

Marie Duffau Bas Armagnac Napoleon

This gateway Armagnac is distilled with organically-grown grapes. Matured for at least six years, Marie Duffau Bas Armagnac Napoleon is a complex, highly sippable gateway Armagnac. While this chocolate, vanilla cookie, brown sugar-filled, gently spicy, fruity Armagnac might be one of the first bottles you purchase to dip your toe into the category, it’s the kind of expression you’ll continue to drink even as your palate grows.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $30-40

Delord 25 Year Bas Armagnac

This family brand was founded in 1893 and is currently being embraced by the fourth generation. Distilled from organically-grown grapes and aged for at least twenty-five years in oak casks, this is a truly special, complex Armagnac. The nose is all candied orange peels, vanilla, and honey. The palate only adds to the experience with notes of rich oak, sweet vanilla beans, dried fruits, chocolate fudge, and gentle wine tannins.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $70-80

Sempe VSOP Armagnac

This VSOP blend is made up of eau-de-vies from Bas-Armagnac as well as the Tenarese region. Distilled in copper pot stills, it’s matured in French oak longer than many of the other VSOP Armagnacs on the market. The result is a rich, sweet, mellow Armagnac with notes of fruit esters, dried fruits, vanilla beans, caramel, and a nice floral kick. It’s a unique, memorable Armagnac you’ll always want to keep on hand.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $50-60

Domaine D’Esperance 5 Year Bas-Armagnac

Made with Baco 22 A and Folle-Blanche grape varieties, this Armagnac is a blend of multiple vintages (three, four, or five depending on the bottle) that have each been matured for a minimum of five years. The result is an oaky, fruity Armagnac with notes of sticky toffee pudding, vanilla, wine tannins, and gentle wintry spices. It’s a sweet, fruity, spicy Armagnac you won’t soon forget.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $60-75

Jollite Armagnac VSOP

Jollite Armagnac VSOP is the epitome of a gateway Armagnac that you’ll never want to give up. Winner of the Silver Medal at the 2017 San Francisco Spirits Competition, it’s well-known for its balanced, highly sippable nature. It’s loaded with dried fruits, wine tannins, toasted vanilla beans, buttery caramel, gentle spices, and rich oak. There’s a reason it’s so highly rated.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $30-40

Bhakta Spirits 1973 Vintage Armagnac

Bhakta Spirits 1973 Vintage Armagnac isn’t a gateway Armagnac. It’s the kind of expression you work your way toward, purchase and then savor slowly on a cool evening. Aged for a minimum of forty-nine years, this 107.8-proof Armagnac begins with a nose of dried fruits, honey, and brown sugar. The palate is spicy, sweet, and filled with flavors like vanilla, dried fruits, cracked black pepper, nutmeg, and rich oak.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 53.9%
• Price Range: $300-400

Chateau de Lacquy 17 Year Armagnac

Chateau de Lacquy 17-Year Armagnac is made from a blend of Baco, Colombard, and Ugni-blanc grape varieties. On top of that, it’s a blend of Armagnacs that were aged for five different time periods with the youngest being seventeen years. Aged in charred oak, it’s known for its nose of candied nuts, vanilla beans, and oak. The warming, easy-sipping palate is filled with flavors like vanilla cookies, dried fruits, chocolate, spices, and charred wood.  

• Origin: France
• ABV: 43.5%
• Price Range: $130-150

Larressingle VSOP Armagnac

The best-selling Armagnac in the US, Larressingle VSOP Armagnac is a blend of eau-de-vies from Bas Armagnac and Ténarèze districts. The Armagnac included has been aged for a minimum of eight years (even though in order to be called a VSOP it only needs to be matured for five years). The result is a mellow, easy-drinking Armagnac with a ton of fruit, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, oak, and peppery spices.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $60-75

Chateau De Laubade Armagnac VSOP

To say that this VSOP Armagnac is complex is a massive understatement. Made using four grape varieties (Ugni-Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard, and Baco) grown on a single, 260-acre vineyard in Bas Armagnac, this expression is made up of a blend of spirits aged between six and twelve years. Add to that, the brand makes its own casks at its cooperage. It’s known for its palate of vanilla cream, candied citrus peels, dried fruits, and honey sweetness.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $40-50

Castarede Bas Armagnac VS

This gateway VS expression is a blend of eau-de-vides that have all been matured for a minimum of three years in French oak. Made from Folle Blanche distillate, the grapes come from Castarede estate’s vineyard in Bas Armagnac. It’s known for its fruity and floral nose and complex flavor profile featuring vanilla beans, dried fruits, toasted marshmallows, and rich, oaky wood.

• Origin: France
• ABV: 40%
• Price Range: $40-50

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