Calvados is a fruit brandy obtained by a distillation process allowing alcohol to be extracted by separating liquid substances that have different boiling temperatures. Once heated in a still, the alcohol evaporates and is then recovered in the liquid state.
In AOC Calvados, the eau-de-vie can be made from ciders and / or perry to be distilled (already fermented) and with a minimum alcohol level of 4.5%.
It is the only regional appellation that admits the two distillation processes also used in Cognac and Armagnac: re-pass distillation and continuous distillation.