Did you know that Brandy is an Accidental invention?

At least two things were needed before brandy could be made. First, the Western world had to learn how to distil alcohol. Then, international trade had to become a thing, with ships carrying heavy cargo across oceans to far away countries and colonies. First, brandy was supposed to just be wine. But, as the story goes, a Dutch trader in the 16th century got clever and distilled his wine shipment down to a sweet heavy concentrate. This would save weight, space, and money. He intended to add water to the liquid upon arrival to his destination. But when the casks were opened, everything about the "wine" had changed. They called it "bradwijn" (burnt wine), and it was much more popular that watered down real wine could ever hope to be.