Blended Armagnacs

Blended armagnacs can be a mixture of various vintages, various properties, various sub-regions and various distillation types. They are very frequently adjusted in one way or another by an enologist to promote color and taste consistency. As in cognac, the goal is to standardize releases so that a VSOP or XO released in 1993 tastes the same as a VSOP or XO released in 1998.

The Role of the Enologist

Enologists often make their presence felt during three important phases of a blended armagnac's life. The first is during the fermentation of wine when certain scientific measures are necessary to create a correct, healthy base material for distillation. The second is during the élevage when a producer desires advice on things like barrel rotation or racking – which helps speed the oxidation process. The third-during the blend or coup – is when the skills of an enologist are utilized the most.

Ideally, the enologist's influence on the final spirit is minimal; he combines various barrels and comes up with a completely natural blend. Realistically, the enologist plays a role that includes plenty of intervention. During this time, the enologist normally uses his stable of permitted additives to correct or rectify a blend.

Within armagnac, like cognac, there are four groups of permitted additives, each with a different role.

Water

Water is the most natural additive, normally used to cut excessive alcohol or heat (essential for double-distilled products) but also for more insidious purposes, like increasing the amount of spirit to sell and lower duties and taxes. Enthusiasts should make a habit of looking at the alcohol level of vintage armagnacs. Whereas 80 proof is the normal for the final strength of most cognacs, the character of single-distilled armagnacs are tremendously altered through reduction.

Why? Reducing a double-distilled product which is devoid of the majority of esters and congeners is like diluting a perfume so that it becomes akin to eau de toilette or producing a wine made with a harvest of 100 hl/ha instead of the normal 50 hl/ha. Single-distilled armagnacs, instead of just becoming thinner, take on a more forceful character-rustic, foxy even. Their natural texture and balance of flavorants is thrown completely out of balance. Understandably, reduction is a bad word to the armagnac traditionalist.

Boisé

Boisé is a second permitted additive, created by boiling wood chips in water, then removing the chips and slowly reducing the remaining liquid. What one is left with is a dark brown liquid that is replete with wood flavor and tannin. The reasons for using boisé are simple; it basically gives the impression of oak aging to a final spirit. An aged-boisé is also available to the enologist. It is less bitter than straight boisé, and offers secondary wood aromas like vanilla and grilled nuts, giving an impression of age to a spirit.

Sugar Syrup

Sugar syrup is the third adjustment tool that is used to add sweetness to armagnac, normally added if the armagnac is too tannic, or to remove any rough edges it might contain. It is viscous, and can either be dark or light. Legally, 2% of an armagnac's content can be sugar syrup.

Caramel

A final shortcut is caramel. Caramel is a liquid made from burned sugar. It is dark in color and slightly bitter in taste. It is not used to sweeten armagnac, but to adjust its color and establish consistency or give the spirit the impression of being older and therefore smoother.