Coñac (also cogñac, or konyak, or even cognac) is used by a number of countries to denote a locally made, pot-distilled, aged grape brandy. The tradition goes back to the late eighteenth century, when the fame and reputation of French cognac led to widespread imitation of the techniques used to make it and even more widespread appropriation of its name, over strenuous French objection. Germany abandoned the term in 1919 and Italy soon after. See arzente. Spain, on the other hand, persisted in marketing its brandies as coñac through the 1970s, but with its integration into the European Union it was forced to abandon the practice, although the word is still in popular usage to describe domestic brandy. It still survives in commercial use in South America, where examples of aged, pot-stilled grape brandy are still marketed as coñac. Some examples: In Chile the Mitjans company, in operation since 1897, has the Tres Palos brand, bottled at 38 percent ABV. Argentina offers the Reserva San Juan, at 39.5 percent ABV, from Mendoza, made since 1933 (the brand was originally launched with investment and technology from the French Otard Dupuy Cognac company). Both of these remain relatively popular. In Peru, the last survivor seems to be the vestigial Cogñac del Nonno brand from the Cuneo distillery in Tacna, known mostly for its pisco. See pisco. None of these spirits are destined for the export market, which one may be certain is the only reason they can still bear the word “coñac” on their labels.
konyak (in the Cyrillic alphabet) for sale in the former Soviet Union.See also cognac.
By: David Wondrich