Brandy
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Brandy. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a spirit produced by the distillation of both white and red wines, pre prepared chiefly in the south of France. A brandy highly esteemed is that of Cognac, which is obtained by distilling white wines of the finest quality. An inferior kind of spirit is frequently prepared from the "marc" of grapes and the refuse of wine vats. When first distilled it is as colorless as alcohol, and continues so if kept in bottles or jars. When stored in casks, however, it acquires from the wood a pale amber tint, and in this state is sold as pale brandy. The dark color of brown brandy is produced artificially, to please the public taste, by means of a solution of caramel. The development of viticulture in the Western States , particularly in California, enabled American enterprise to produce a brandy that was a formidable rival to the French article. Genuine brandy consists of alcohol and water, with small quantities of enanthic ether, acetic ether, and other volatile bodies produced in the process of fermentation. The value of brandy as a medicine depends on the presence of these ethers and other volatile products ; when, therefore, it is adulterated with raw grain spirit and water , the amount of these ethers is so reduced that the brandy becomes almost valueless for medical purposes.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
an alcoholic liquor distilled from the fermented juice, usually of the grape. Brandy is also made from cider, and the juice of other fruits; in which case it is called apple brandy, cherry brandy, peach brandy, etc. So far as the alcoholic element is concerned, brandies are alike, but each fruit gives its own flavor by reason of the aromatic oil it imparts. The most celebrated brandy is that of Cognac, France, on the importation of which the United States government imposes a tariff, reaching $20 per gallon for some brands. Of late California has produced a white grape brandy which competes with the French article. Most of the brandy on the market is raw wheat and corn whisky, doctored, flavored, and colored to resemble the more expensive liquor. See Alcohol ; Cognac 2026 Editor's Note: The names have become law: Cognac and Armagnac are now protected appellations that may be used only for brandy distilled in those French districts by defined methods. The word itself is a shortening of the Dutch brandewijn , "burnt wine," from the heating of the still. (Ed: BR 2026-07-13)