1892 Drinks of the world

DRINKS.

127

brandy may mature, and may develope into the ethyls, which give such flavour and fragrance to the brandy. Perhaps the oldest house in the Cognac district is Hennessy's, but it would be invidious to say that their brandy w^as superior either to Martell's, Otard and Dupuy's, the Societe Vignicole, Courvoisier, or many other firms. That must be left to individual taste. But from these firm.s we can rely on having pure un- adulterated brandies, the pure product of the vine, without any admixture of grain or beet spirit. At one time, adulteration was rife among the farmers, but in 1857 and 1858 several of them were prosecuted, and they are now credited with having abjured their evil ways. that the fusel oil

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