[5] The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais.

Cognac is a type of brandy, and after the distillation and during the aging process, is also called eau de vie.

[10] Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper alembic stills, the design and dimensions of which are also legally controlled.

[7] As the cognac interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about 3% each year, slowly losing both alcohol and water (the former more rapidly, as it is more volatile).

When more than ten years pass in the oak barrel, the cognac's alcohol content decreases to 40% in volume.

[7] The cognac is then transferred to "large glass bottles called bonbonnes", then stored for future "blending.

[11] In this respect, it is similar to the process of blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent brand flavor.

[7][20] Other brands meeting the AOC criteria for cognac include Bache-Gabrielsen/Dupuy, Braastad, Camus, La Fontaine de La Pouyade, Château Fontpinot,[20] Delamain, Pierre Ferrand,[7] Frapin, Gautier, Hine,[20] Marcel Ragnaud,[7] Monnet, Moyet, Otard, Meukow, and Cognac Croizet.

In 2017, an agreement between the European Union and Armenia was signed, whereby Armenian producers will abandon the usage of the protected geographic name "cognac" from 2043.