Brandy aging
Process giving brandies softness, amber colour and vintage aroma. It is developed in oak barrels made of thick staves, containing the quercetin, a colouring substance, a glucoside contained especially in the bark giving a pleasant flavour, and at least the tannin, an acid contained in wood giving a styptic flavour, so partially to be eliminated in new barrels. The solution of these substances characterizing brandy is made easier in small barrels thanks to the stronger contact of liquid with wood. It is impossible to tell what could be the best time for brandy aging, because it depends on many aspects: the wood quality, its capacity, the alcoholic concentration, the brandy quality and the environnement temperature. A 5/6 aging years, in excellent conditions, could be enough to get a good distillate. It is important to consider that brandy bottling immediately stops the aging process.
