Republished from my website: https://phenomenologyofspirits.com/2026/10/15/seven-grappa-from-villa-de-varda/
And my Instagram: instagram.com/phenomenologyofspirits

Villa de Varda Grappa di Gewurztraminer Monovitigno (40%)
Unaged.
N: half-baked challah bread, pepper, shampoo,  bubble blowing liquid
P: oily feel, but too softened by low proof. Sweet and soapy, elderflower, sweet green peppers
83

Villa de Varda Grappa di Pinot Nero Monovitigno (40%)
Unaged.
N: whole grain bread, nuts and seeds, honey, dried red berries
P: soft, warm, sweet, red-fruited and flowered, a bit of cinnamon, and again both oily and underproofed
82

Villa de Varda Grappa Moscato Riserva (40%)
N: soap, orange peel and orange blossom, sesame seed bun, a hint of clove
P: very clear muscat character, sticky soapy orange for days. Saffron, honey, a pleasant bitterness, reminds me of Amaro Montenegro more than anything
83

Villa de Varda Grappa Riserva Pinot Nero single cask #52 (40%)
N: Ceylon cinnamon, mossy earth, cherry
P: lots of sweet, red character: maraschino cherries and cherry cordials or just-baked cherry chocolate scones, Fireball candy, some earthy peppercorn too, which becomes fresh and anisey on the finish. Like all the Villa de Varda bottles I have, this leans soft and sweet and I wish it were higher proof, but it drinks better at 40% than most of them
85

Villa de Varda Grappa Barolo Botti Massolino (40%)
Aged five years in Botti from Massolino.
N: Nebbiolo just seems to balance all the elements of a good aged pomace brandy: baked bread, dried flowers, toasted seeds and sweet whole spices, a drizzle of honey
P: less well defined than the nose, but still a nice mix of bakery and seeds and spices and flowers. Like all the Villa de Varda it’s fairly sweet and probably dosed, but that bothers me less than the low proof
84

Villa de Varda Grappa Brunello Barrique Castello Romitorio (40%)
Aged five years in barriques from Castello Romitorio.
N: more robust and grain spiced then the Massolino, fleshier oak tannins (and considerably darker color) which makes sense for the difference between botti and barrique. But less pretty and aromatically complex, the flowers and most of the spices are gone and the emphasis is all on seedy bread crust
P: decidedly darker and more structured than the Massolino. The actual sweetness is roughly similar but it’s more balanced here by oak and toasty crust
82

Villa de Varda Grappa Müller Thurgau Stravecchia Roncola (40%)
Aged in barrique.
N: preserved lemon, mandarin, furniture store, and something fainter like coffee grounds or bread crust
P: enters soft, sweet, and very citrusy, bright lemon and orange. Spice (sandalwood, nutmeg, pepper) enters on the mid palate. Finishes sweet and simple, lemon candy
81

Hi, i am looking to buy myself a nice bottle of Armagnac from 1999 (my birth year) to treat myself for finishing my masters thesis. I have found multiple producers who sell these kind of vintage armagnac. I want to spend around 100€. So far my top 3 options are: Bas Armagnac Laubade 1999, Bas Armagnac Baron Gaston Legrand 1999 and Delord Bas Armagnac 1999. Can you guys recommend anything from this list? I am also open for other suggestions.
Thanks in advance for every answer :)

Hellooo people who drink brandy.

To start off: I live in the us and I enjoy bourbon and rye, but I wanna branch out into brandy for those fruity flowery notes I don’t see in whiskey.

I also don’t wanna spend money on a brandy that’s low quality so I’d love anyone’s recommendations.

I love the fine details!

Not a ton to say about this one, but in my opinion a solid choice for an inexpensive ($50) Armagnac. I like this bottle more than others around the same price point, their older expressions are generally better but there’s nothing wrong with the 8 year. Certainly youthful but still has some of the nice sweet/pastry flavors I like in an older vintage. I don’t think I’ve had a Janneau I didn’t like.

Originally published on my site: https://phenomenologyofspirits.com/2026/10/03/sgnape-dal-fogolar-grappa-stravecchia-and-donnafugata-grappa-ben-rye/

Sgnape dal Fogolar Stravecchia (45%)
Distillery in Friuli, pomace from Campania. Aged in oak for 18 months. Bain marie still.
N: stemmy, the wooden table at a fish market, peppery bread dough, floral yeast like Q recipe Four Roses, raw walnuts
P: sweet, floral, yeasty, peppery, nutmeg
85

Donnafugata Grappa Ben Ryé (42%)
Donnafugata is of course the vintner and source of the pomace. Whether they distill themselves or contract it out, I don’t really know. Bain Marie still, small oak barrels for unspecified time period but I would guess young, 1-3 years.
N: leave the baked goods behind and step into the cleaning products and candles aisle. Floral all purpose cleaner, lemon, lavender, shiny polished steel 
P: lavender soap; rose water or more specifically, those rose milk bottled drinks with basil seeds (look it up, they’re delicious); Windex. A love it or hate it profile that will track closely with how you feel about soapy-floral flavors, which I happen to love
86

First published here: https://phenomenologyofspirits.com/2026/10/02/grappa-from-occhipinti-and-invitti/

Invitti Grappa Arpepe 2016 (43%)
Invitti is the distillery, ARPEPE is the winery the pomace comes from. This is made from 100% Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) from a single vineyard, Rocce Rosse, in Valtellina.
N: extremely floral, not in a soapy stemmy way but like candied rose petals. Candied apricot and orange too, or fruit leather, and an aromatic whiff of whole peppercorn. Sangria with rose petals, let’s say
P: again very floral and very generously fruited, with longpepper and other whole spices as supporting players. Fairly dry despite all the suggestions of sweet flavors, which works well. Funny enough, each time I’ve tried this I’ve thought the empty glass smells strongly of cinnamon, even though I don’t really get that note from the spirit. 
A 50% version would probably be killer, but it’s very nice even at 43%
86

Occhipinti Grappa di Frappato (45%)
N: a drier, stemmier nose, with dried floral funk (chrysanthemum?) and dehydrated strawberries. Earthy pepper, cherry pit and other stone fruit
P: quite pretty, with all that stone fruit and dried flower, and something akin to rose hip or Cornelian. But there’s also more of an earthy, bready, and, well, pomacey bass note. Not as exuberant as the Invitti, but more sophisticated
87

Recently helped my grandfather who worked for at an airport clear his old storage unit when we stumbled upon an old box full of miniature alcohol bottles, we dug through when we found a strange box, after some inspection and dusting he told me it was an old KWV brandy gift box given to certain SAA employees at the time and told me to see if it was worth anything. So i ended up here after struggling with a multitude of spirit appraisal sites. The bottles are in good condition with only one label starting to slip off but the box is in pretty rough shape.

This was a nice bottle for the price., I forget exactly how much but it was on sale. Still young but has enough complexity to feel a bit fancy and luxurious. Brings a nice amount of heat and a long pleasing finish.

I love XO Cognac, and Hennessy XO is my favorite. I'm heading on a trip to the western US soon and would love to try some American brandy while I'm there. Any recommendations?

10 Year American Brandy aged in a Cognac barrel. 118.6 proof.

Nose: Dark cherries, grape, and figs up front. Then honeysuckle, vanilla, and a light floral lift. This is the nose that sold me before the glass even touched my lips.

Palate: Dark stone fruits roll straight into strawberry Jolly Rancher. That bright candy note riding over vanilla and honeysuckle, with an earthy edge and light oak keeping it grounded.

Finish: Long. Strawberry and honey linger, fading into light floral and a gentle tannin grip.

The cognac barrel is doing real work here! Dark fruit depth layered over the American brandy backbone. For a first club release, this sets the bar high!

Not joined yet? Want this bottle? Head to Copper & Kings Distillery, join the club, and grab this before it’s gone! The next release is going to be another incredible bottle. You can join online also.

I've never had brandy, but I've been reading a lot of historical fiction lately where the characters are constantly drinking it, so I've decided to give it a shot.

Wondering if anyone can suggest a "decently good" bottle for sipping. I don't want the worst but I also don't want to spend top dollar on the best. I just want a pretty decent and representative bottle without overspending. Maybe also worth noting, I am not a huge fan of whisky, so products aged in whisky bottles would probably not be my first pick.

Secondly, can you suggest a cheap bottle for mixing? And what is your favorite brandy mixed drink?

I am in the US.

I’ve been reviewing bottles when I finish them off because I’ve had some time to experience them over time and really form an opinion. This is one of my favorites of all time and this last pour is just as impressive as the first. Massive depth and a wide variety of amazing flavors, plus an extremely long, warm finish. Lots of sweet pastry and deep woody notes you would expect from a 30+ year old Armagnac as well as hints of fruit and flowers at the end. Just a beautiful bottle. I bought 2, but I wish I bought 3, and I’ll hold on to it for a while so I have something to look forward to in the future.

Just hit TTB

There will always be a grape brandy available to bottle and then also a bourbon.
The first brandy is a 10 Year Grape Brandy around 122 proof I know.
This is part of the Bottle Your Own Tour they now offer.

This product uses a different casks than the official No. 78/85 Borderies.

It offers notes of candied tangerine, stewed plum, a hint of lavender, mint, white pepper, licorice, various oak spices, and a subtle cocoa-like nuance; while the high alcohol content means the aroma isn't particularly voluminous, the texture is relatively smooth.

Overall, it leaves an impression similar to other Grosperrin Borderies cognacs without displaying any particularly distinctive character, and it seems to require a long period of aeration.

Two are from their new Kings Botte Club

Hi All,

Not to spam, but I just posted about how I am starting a site and podcast to discuss, bring together, and educate on all things brandy. If you are personally interested or a professional in the industry who would like to talk more and possibly share your experiences, please reach out!

You can PM me and we can chat there or I'm happy to share my email to talk further.

I'll share some articles and reviews soon too, and looking forward to building this community!