AFTER YEARS of watching bourbon sales soar, American brandy distillers are ready to get in on the action. The first step: education.

Brandy encompasses a whole range of spirits: Cognacs and Armagnacs, distilled from (grape) wine; Calvados and other apple brandies, made from cider; and fruit brandies derived from berries and tree fruits. The most sought-after brandies are barrel-aged, yielding a liquor as brown and aromatic as any bourbon.

Traditionally,...