The conception of brandy
pirits made of wine have been produced in Europe since the 13th century but only gained popularity in the 14th. They were usually very strong, up to 60–90%. Initially, they served exclusively as medicine or anesthetics.
Later, they began to penetrate into the upper classes of the society as a drink and by the 15th century, they were already drank by burghers. Only later, they spread among the peasants in the countryside.
Brandy in Slovakia
In the 15th century, the production of spirity from wine (brandy) was expanded almost everywhere. “Vinopaly” began to quickly emerge in Hungary and thus also in Slovakia.
In Slovak, several words for spirits were used in the past, one of which was directly associated with brandy: brent.