Brandy is a class of spirits that is distilled from grape wine, the pomace left over from winemaking, or the fermented juice from other fruits. Most grape brandies are aged in oak, while the fruit and pomace brandies are unaged and clear. Origin: In the 16th century, brandy was believed to be created as a more cost effective way to ship wine. By distilling the wine and removing the water content, ships were able to send more alcohol by volume overseas and sell it as wine again after adding the water back to the liquid. The Dutch liked the concentrated wine as it was, calling the new product brandewijn, or “burnt wine,” which then became anglicized to brandy.