Armagnac is France's oldest brandy — single-distilled in Gascony and aged in local oak — and the aged-brandy shelf at Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California, runs deeper than almost anywhere online: a 25-year Bas-Armagnac at $169.99, two single barrels of 50-year brandy built from vintages as old as 1868, and Armenian brandies aged 30 and 70 years, topping out at $4,999.99. Every bottle below is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
Armagnac vs Cognac, in One Paragraph
Both are French grape brandies, but Armagnac is traditionally distilled once in a column still (Cognac twice, in pot stills), which leaves more of the grape's character in the spirit, and it is aged in Gascon oak and often bottled as a vintage or a minimum-age blend. The result is a rustic, pruney, oak-deep style that rewards exactly the long aging on display here. Our wider shelf is in the Armagnac collection and the brandy collection; for the Cognac side, see our guide to buying Cognac online.
The Bottles in Stock
- Dartigalongue Armagnac Grande Eau de Vie 25 Year Old — $169.99. The house's extra-old Bas-Armagnac from Nogaro, where the family has distilled since 1813: a blend of vintages whose youngest component spent a minimum of 25 years in Gascon oak, bottled at 40% ABV. The barrels are never completely emptied, so decades-old Armagnac continuously seasons every new bottling.
- Bhakta 50 Year Old Brandy Barrel 18 Rockefeller — $369.99. A single barrel of Armagnac blending eight historic vintages — 1868, 1897, 1939, 1941, 1955, 1963, 1965 and 1970 — finished briefly in a Scotch Islay cask and bottled at 47% ABV. The youngest spirit in the bottle is 50 years old. Barrel 18 of the 38-barrel BHAKTA 50 collection, assembled by WhistlePig founder Raj Peter Bhakta.
- Bhakta 50 Year Old Brandy Barrel 12 Lafayette — $399.99. The sibling barrel: Armagnac vintages spanning 1868 to 1970, finished in French oak casks that previously held premium Islay whisky, bottled at 48.8% ABV. Only 578 bottles exist. Barrel 12 honors the Marquis de Lafayette and the France–America alliance.
- Ararat Erebuni 30 Year Old Brandy — $899.99. Armenia's first ultra-premium brandy, launched in 2015 by the Yerevan Brandy Company: a blend of more than thirty rare vintage spirits, the oldest dating to 1934, aged in Caucasian oak and bottled at 40% ABV. Dried fruits and roasted hazelnuts with apricot, prune and a pleasant tartness of aged oak, in gold packaging honoring the 782 BC fortress of Erebuni.
- Ararat Erebuni 70 Year Old Brandy — $4,999.99. The oldest brandy in the Erebuni limited collection and the rarest expression in the entire ARARAT portfolio: a 70-year Armenian brandy whose oldest spirit dates to 1902, drawn from the distillery treasury in Yerevan. Dark amber with mahogany tints — dried fruits, roasted chestnuts, dark chocolate and caramelized fruit. A true collector's bottle, and a remarkable gift from our gift sets collection.
How to Serve Very Old Brandy
Pour these neat in a tulip or snifter at room temperature and give them time — the Bhakta barrels and the Erebuni 70 keep evolving in the glass for an hour or more. Skip ice and mixers entirely at this age; if a bottle feels tight, a teaspoon of still water is enough. The Dartigalongue 25 is the weeknight-accessible end of this shelf and the natural first bottle for a Cognac drinker crossing over. Ordering and delivery questions are answered on our FAQs page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Armagnac and Cognac?
Armagnac, from Gascony, is traditionally single-distilled in a column still and aged in Gascon oak, often as vintage bottlings; Cognac is double-distilled in pot stills. Armagnac tends to taste more rustic and fruit-deep, with pronounced dried fruit and oak — the style of the Dartigalongue 25 Year Old ($169.99) and the Bhakta 50 barrels in this guide.
What is the oldest brandy you can buy at Del Mesa Liquor?
The Ararat Erebuni 70 Year Old ($4,999.99) is a 70-year Armenian brandy whose oldest component spirit dates to 1902. The Bhakta 50 barrels ($369.99–$399.99) blend Armagnac vintages back to 1868, with a minimum age of 50 years.
What does Bhakta 50 taste like?
Bhakta 50 barrels blend eight Armagnac vintages from 1868 to 1970 and finish in Islay whisky casks, adding a whisper of peat smoke to deep dried fruit, rancio and old oak. Barrel 18 Rockefeller is bottled at 47% ABV and Barrel 12 Lafayette at 48.8% ABV.
Where can I buy Armagnac online?
All five brandies in this guide are in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned store in San Diego, California — from the $169.99 Dartigalongue 25 Year Old to the $4,999.99 Ararat Erebuni 70 Year Old.