The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 2 plus 3 letter word EAU DE VIE
E
A
U
D
E
V
I
E
More clues leading to the result EAU DE VIE
- Brandy and scent, it’s said, are rivals
- Spirit of France maybe
- Smell said to rival strong spirit
- Spirit of English vaudeville only apparent after sinking first very large double?
- Repute reported to rival — one bottles it
- Spirit, French counterpart of whisky
- Brandy from Moldova regularly picked up?
- Bit of elegant gold instrument releasing cold alcohol
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Brandy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case brandy = eau de vie.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.