Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the town of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Only specified grapes - such as Ugni Blanc (also called Saint-Emilion) - can be used. The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. Cognac is now the world’s most famous brandy and the town of Cognac, France, located just 80 miles north of Bordeaux, is the epicenter of Cognac production.