Spirited effort by armagnac to take on cognac in China

"If you drink cognac there is no reason why you shouldn't drink armagnac. We have very similar products. We have our differences, but let's talk about the similarities first," says Olivier Dusautoir, commercial director of the house of Janneau.

Fair enough. Both are region-specific French grape brandies. Both fall under the appellation d'origine contrôlée certification system which stipulates which grapes may be grown and where, and also determines the minimum for which the eaux de vie must be oak barrel matured.

In both regions the better quality producers generally age the spirits longer than legally required. The youngest eau de vie in Janneau's VSOP, for example, is seven and the blend could legally be sold as an XO.

But armagnac, probably first produced in the 12th century, has a longer history, produces lower volumes, is usually single rather than double distilled and, like single malt whisky, is generally sold on character rather than smoothness.

Until recently another difference was that while the vast majority of cognac was exported, most armagnac was consumed in France.

"You have cognac connoisseurs in France, too," says Dusautoir, "but if you look at the figures, cognac exports 97 per cent, while the armagnac market in France today represents 43 per cent of sales, with 57 per cent exported. But the trend is changing."