Armagnac predates Cognac by roughly 150 years, making it France's oldest grape brandy. Produced in the Gers, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne departments of Gascony, it is traditionally single-distilled through a continuous copper column still (alambic armagnacais), yielding a more robust, aromatic spirit than its double-distilled Cognac cousin. The region divides into three production zones: Bas-Armagnac (finest, sandy Fezensac soils), Ténarèze (clay-limestone, fuller style), and Haut-Armagnac (smallest output). Vintage-dated bottlings and single-estate production are far more common than in Cognac. Key grape varieties include Ugni Blanc, Baco 22A, Folle Blanche, and Colombard.
