What French apple brandy is produced in the Normandy region?

What French apple brandy is produced in the Normandy region? The answer is Calvados. This protected French spirit is distilled from cider made primarily with specially selected cider apples grown in Normandy; some regulated versions also use pears. The fermented cider is distilled into an apple-rich eau-de-vie and then aged in oak casks, where it develops deeper fruit, spice, caramel, and wood notes.

Calvados is not simply any apple brandy. Its name refers to regulated appellations covering parts of Normandy, with Calvados Pays d’Auge being one of the best-known and most restrictive categories. Pays d’Auge Calvados must be double-distilled in a pot still, while ordinary Calvados is commonly made using continuous column distillation.

The spirit has a long Norman history. Records of cider distillation appear by the 16th century, and the cider-brandy trade expanded over subsequent centuries. Calvados is traditionally served as a digestif, but younger expressions also appear in cocktails. A famous Norman custom, the trou normand, involves drinking a small serving between courses.