Difference Between Whiskey and Cognac

Most people who love whisky also love cognac. Our question today; what is the difference between whisky and cognac? Whisky is made from grains while cognac is made from grapes. This is the first main difference, however, there is more than that. Join me as we explore some of the reasons you might choose to drink a bottle of cognac over a bottle of whisky or the vice versa. Before we even get deeper, it will be better to explain the difference between whisky and whiskey. The two words mean the same alcoholic product with the difference being where the alcoholic drink is produced from. Whiskey means the drinks are produced from either The United States or Ireland while whisky means the drink is produced from Scotland, Canada, Japan, India or any other part of the world. This article has been influenced by the fact that whisky delivery Nairobi and cognac delivery Nairobi are both popular services when it comes to drinks delivery Kenya. Let’s now get down to the business of the day; the difference between whisky and cognac.

1. Raw Material Used To Produce Whisky and Cognac

Whisky is made from grains while cognacs are made from grapes. The fact that cognacs are made from grapes means they develop fruitful aromas which whisky cannot. The grains that are used to produce whisky ranges from barley, wheat, corns, rye and rice. However, there are no rules controlling the quality of the grains used to produce whisky contrarily to cognacs where the grapes used must be hand-picked to ensure only the highest quality grapes are used. Grapes used to produce cognacs must be grown in the Cognac region in France. Both whisky and cognacs are aged in American oak casks. This clearly tells you that cognac has an upper hand over whisky due to the controlled quality and the fruitful aromas developed from using grapes as their raw material.

2. Whisky and Cognac Production Time

There are strict rules when it comes to the production of cognacs with the least aged cognacs being 3 years while the most aged cognacs going for even centuries. The least aged cognac is blended with some of the most aged cognacs to improve their quality. Cognacs distilleries have devised a way of naming their drinks according to the number of years they are aged. They are as follows;

• VS – Very Special. The cognacs used must be aged for a minimum of two years
• VSOP – Very Superior Old Pale. The cognacs used must be aged for a minimum of four years.
• XO – Extra Old. The cognacs used must be aged for a minimum of six years.

On the hand, there are no rules as to how long a bottle of whisky must be aged hence you will find that some whiskeys are aged for over a 100 years while others are aged for less than one year. This clearly tells you that cognacs win in this category because the longer the production time the better the quality.

3. Production Regulations of Whisky and Cognac

Cognacs have strict production regulations, unlike whisky where rules of production are a bit flexible. Cognacs must be produced in Cognac region in France by the grapes that have been grown within the same region. The following are some of whisky production rules.

• Irish whisky must be triple distilled
• Irish whiskey must be aged for a minimum of three years
• Irish whiskey can only be produced from Ireland
• Bourbon whisky must be aged for a minimum of two years
• Bourbon whisky can only be produced in The United States
• Bourbon whiskey must be made from 51% corn
• Bourbon whiskey must be aged in new charred oak barrels
• Tennessee whiskey must pass through the Lincoln County Process of filtering through maple charcoal
• Tennessee whiskey must be produced from Tennessee district in The United States
• Single malt whisky can be produced anywhere in the world
• Single malt whisky must be produced from one single distillery
• Single malt whisky can only be produced malted barley
• Blended whisky must be aged for a minimum of five years after the blending
• Blended whisky is made by blending 1/3 of single malt whisky and 2/3 of grain whisky
• Japanese whisky must be produced from Japan
• Canadian whisky must be produced from Canada

When it comes to the production of cognacs, all cognac production rules must be followed keenly because a slight negation will make cognac be termed as normal brandy. This brings us to another question; what is the difference between cognac and brandy? Brandy is any alcoholic drinks that are made from the fermentation of fruit juice. The fruits could be grapes, apples or pears. Cognacs are those brandies that are produced in Cognac region in France and they must be produced from hand-selected grapes to ensure a great quality of drinks is achieved. The production of cognacs is the most complex process in comparison with all types of alcohol hence it takes more time. This results in cognac being the most expensive alcoholic drinks.

4. Countries Where Whisky and Cognac are Produced

Cognacs are only produced from France, a country which is known for producing high-quality wines and awesome food, hence cognacs are among the highest quality alcoholic drinks in the universe. When it comes to whisky, some countries produce high-quality whisky while others produce low-quality whisky. For example, Scotland, Ireland, The United States and Japan produces some whisky brands that are of high quality while other countries like India and South Africa are known for producing cheap and low-quality whiskies. In other words, cognacs can only be produced in the Cognac region in France while whiskeys can be produced anywhere in the world. The fact that there is a limitation of the region where the cognac can be produced from ensures only high-quality drinks are produced but when it comes to whisky, any country can produce them hence there is no good control of quality. It is for this reason that there are high-quality whisky and low-quality whiskeys at the same time.

 

5. Public Opinion About Whisky and Cognac

Cognacs have invested so much in the design of their bottles which are super unique making them look classy. This is still the case when it comes to the expensive whiskies like Johnnie Walker Odyssey and King George V. However, low-class whiskies don’t pay much attention the design of the bottle because they are aimed at low-class earners. Cognacs do not cause headaches neither do they cause hangovers like most of the whiskeys; this makes cognacs a preference for many. I would like to compare cognac and whisky with BMW vehicles and Toyota vehicles here in Kenya. You may have an expensive Toyota vehicle while another person has a small and less expensive BMW but be sure the small BMW will attract more attention and acknowledgement in comparison with the big and expensive Toyota. Do you want to get attention in a club? Then order a bottle of cognac XO.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the two types of spirits are great and we can’t tell which one is better than the other so we leave that one for you to decide. Just like the way I said before, most of the whisky lovers enjoy cognac too. I don’t want to be biased on cognacs but in case you want to compare them with whisky, you must choose a whisky that is equal to the task. There is no way you can compare a fine cognac with a cheap whisky. What I mean is that there are no low quality or cheap cognacs as it is the case with whiskies. However, whiskies are the most popular spirits of the two. Actually, whiskies are the most popular alcoholic drinks after beers. Cognacs are equally popular as whisky despite them being produced in only in a single country. This is because they have some rap artist ambassadors like Snoop Dog, Ludacris, Jay Z, Busta Rhymes and many more artists. The other advantage cognacs have over whiskies is that the name Cognac is a town, a region and a drink at the same time. Both whiskeys and cognacs are available in Nairobi Drinks - online alcohol shop. We offer discounted liquor prices in addition to free and fast alcohol delivery Nairobi. Call, text or WhatsApp us today via our mobile number +254 714798820 to place an order. You may also visit our website; www.nairobidrinks.co.ke or even better you may install our alcohol delivery app by clicking the link below

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ke.co.nairobidrinks.nairobidrinks

 

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