French apple brandy from the department of the same name in western Normandy in the north-west of the country. The area was named after a ship of the Spanish Armada called "El Calvador" that ran aground on the coast. Apples and the cider made from them are also very important here. Alongside Armagnac and Cognac, Calvados is the third famous brandy from France. The first evidence of the production of an apple brandy in Normandy is a royal licence granted to Sire Gilles de Gouberville from Le Mesnil-au-Val in 1553 to distil an "Eau de Vie de Sydre".

Areas of origin

The first mention of the term Calvados dates back to 1884, when the drink became increasingly popular in Paris. A limited area with 11 sections and a specific cider distillation process was recognised as an appellation in 1946. There are three appellations according to the narrower origin with special production rules. These are "Calvados", "Calvados Pays d'Auge" (Eye region) and "Calvados Domfrontais" (30% pears). Around 30% of the Normandy apple harvest is processed into Calvados, 50% into cider and 20% into apple juice.

Other apple brandies

An apple brandy known as eau-de-vie de cidre usually comes from Normandy, but in smaller quantities also from Brittany or the Loire if the brandy was made from cider and does not come from the limited Calvados region, or if its exact origin can no...