In addition to removing water, the distillation process led to the formation and decomposition of numerous aromatic compounds, fundamentally altering the distillate composition from its source. It was discovered that after being stored in wooden casks, the resulting product improved over the original distilled spirit.
The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It is also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax, which was assessed by volume. Initially, wine was distilled as a preservation method and to make it easier for merchants to transport. By the late 17th century, rum had replaced brandy as the exchange alcohol of choice in the triangle trade. Canoemen and guards on the African side of the trade were generally paid in brandy. In the early 16th-century French brandy helped kickstart the cross-Atlantic triangle trade when it took over the central role of the Portuguese fortified wine due to its higher alcohol content and ease of shipping. While the process was known in classical times, it was not used for significant beverage production until the 15th century. The origins of brandy are tied to the development of distillation. These products are also called eau de vie (literally "water of life" in French).
In a broader sense, the term brandy also denotes liquors obtained from the distillation of pomace (yielding pomace brandy), or mash or wine of any other fruit ( fruit brandy). Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from south-western France. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Others are coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of ageing, and some are produced using a combination of ageing and colouring. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine.
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