OMG! How is that possible? Hidden away in my cellar, disclosed here only because it is anonymous (sort of), there is a bottle or two of marc and a couple of grappa too. They are all homemade by friends and neighbors from the South of France.

Cognac is produced in an industrial, multi-distillation and blending process then aged on oak casks. Cognac is sweeter than many other brandies and is roughly equivalent to a blended whisky. Production is dominated by subsidiaries of large multinational drinks companies.

http://www.chiff.com/wine/europe/cognac.htm

Armagnac is an artisanal product that uses a single distillation normally from a single vintage of grapes. As such, poor Armagnac is hardly potable, while the best Armagnac is stunningly refined in taste and texture. Nearly all Armagnac sold in the US is of the poorer, cheaper varieties. The decent stuff is hard to find. Even the large producers are quite small and most are family producers. Armagnac can be compared to single malt whisky.

http://www.bbr.com/whiskies/armagnac

There seem to be a few misconceptions floating around this thread so I include a couple references just to try to be balanced.

To be really clear, if you want a cheap french brandy drink Cognac. the worst Cognac will not completely destroy your psyche. Do not drink a cheap Armagnac if you happen upon one. That may cause unrecoverable damage to your taste buds and/or intestinal system.

Cognac can never reach the heights of Armagnac, but it can never quite reach the depths either. Thus those among us who drink Armagnac can be found drinking the odd marc or grappa just to prove we have had taste from time to time.