This is what distinguishes single malt whisky from brandy, cognac and other "tipples".

BBC: What's in a name? Plenty, if it's the name of a Scotch whisky.

Distillates -- like cognac, Armagnac and brandy -- are an oft-overlooked category in the bar industry, according to Pour Vous general manager Steve Livigni.

BBC: Vive la France in Los Angeles

Jean Monnet, a brandy merchant from Cognac, in southern France, and Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister, a lawyer from the disputed region near the French-West German border, worked together on the "Schuman Plan, " which Schuman proposed on May 9, 1950.

FORBES: Magazine Article

It is the fifth largest producer of the refined distilled wine product (which is brandy produced inside the Cognac region of France).

FORBES: Camus Unveils 150-Year Anniversary Cognac

This cinematic cocktail, mixing brandy with suspense, was created when the Cognac merchants, worried by falling sales, decided to link the spirit with the world of cult films and literature.

ECONOMIST: Film festivals