6. Spirits Flashcards
What is the base material for rum?
Molasses
Which of the following may be used as a base material for vodka?
- Cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, etc)
- Grapes
- Potatoes
- Sugar cane
All! Cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, etc), Grapes, Potatoes, Sugar cane
Which of the following is true of column stills?
a. They only produce neutral high-strength spirit
b. They only produce relatively low-strength, harsh spirit
c. They may produce spirits with a range of strengths, and styles
d. They are the oldest style of still
They may produce spirits with a range of strengths, and styles
Which of the following best describe a VSOP Cognac?
a. Water-white; neutral nose and neutral flavour
b. Amber colour; complex floral, fruity and woody aromas
c. Water-white; pronounced aniseed and liqourice aromas
d. Amber colour; peaty and medicinal aromas
Amber colour; complex floral, fruity and woody aromas
What is the differences between Bourbon and a single Malt Whiskey?
Bourbon is sweeter and has no peat smoke aromas
What is the aim of distillation?
To increase the alcohol level in the liquid by separating the alcohol from the alcohol liquid
Describe the distillation process…
- Alcohol liquid
- Heated (boiling temp: alcohol 78,3%; water 100%
- Liquid boils, alcohol evaporates
- Alcoholic vapour travels up the still to condenser
- Cooled
- Vapour condenses
- New Make Spirit
What are the two broad categories of stills used during distillation and what is the differences?
Pot stills: - copper pot-shaped vessel - batch process successive distillations required to get high-strength spirit - components (in order of boiling, first to last) 1. heads (highly volatile) 2. heart (spirit) 3. tails (least volatile)
Column stills
- tall, vertically structured column
- continuous process
- internally divided into plates
- mini-distallation on each plate increases alcohol at each level
- high-strength, almoste pure ethanol
What is the result after distillation in pot stills?
Characterful spirit with low strength
What is the result after distillation in column stills?
Smooth, light character with high strength
Describe the process of post distillation…
MATURATION
- unaged (stainless steel tank)
- aged (oak vessels)
OAK
- soften alcohol
- adds tannins, colour and flavour
SWEETENED
- sugar is added or comes from the breakdown of oak
COLOUR
- caramel or oak ageing, or removed by charcoal filtration
WATER
- reduced to bottling strength 40% abv with demineralised water
What describes Brandy?
Brandy is distilled wine and mostly aged in oak and/or coloured with caramel.
Mention two kinds of brandy
COGNAC
oak-aged grape brandy
Region: delimited region to the north of Bordeaux
Distillation: Copper pot still, double-distilled
Notes: fruity, floral, light to medium bodied, smooth alcohol
ARMAGNAC
oak-aged grape brandy
Region: delimited area to the south of Bordeaux
Distillation: Column still (low strength, characterful spirit)
Notes: dried fruit (prune, raisin, fig, medium to full-bodied
Oak maturation
smoother, wood (vanilla, toast, nuts, sweet spice, fruitcake, dried fruit)
What are the labelling terms for brandy?
VS; VSOP; XO (Napoléon)
- Indicate the age of a spirit
Key character of Whiskey
Raw material: grains (barley, rye, corn)
Production: Conversion, fermentation, distillation, oak maturation
What is the common labelling term for Whiskey?
SCOTLAND minimum 3 years
Single Malt Scotch Wisky - malted barley, copper pot still, peat
Blended Scotch Wisky
- floral, honey, fruity, dried fruit, nutty, medicinal, spicy, cereal and woody notes
IRLAND
Irish Whiskey - mixture of malted and unmalted barley and grains
- soft and mellow flavours of fruit, honey, flowers and oak
NORTH AMERCA
Bourbon - mixture of grains, minimum 51% corn
- sweet coconut, vanilla, toffee and spice
Tennessee - sugar maple charcoal filtration
- smoother than bourbon
What is conversion?
Before fermentation the grains must go through a process to turn the insoluble starch to fermentable sugars
Key character of Rum
Raw material: Sugar cane (molasses)
Production: Fermentation, distillation, oak maturation (optional)
What is the common labelling term or styles for Rum?
WHITE
- low/high-strength, dry and neutral in character
- can be aged and stripped of colour by charcoal filtration
GOLDEN
- dry or off-dry, intense, complex and fruity aromas (banana, coconut, toffee)
SPICED
- golden rum with added spice flavours
DARK
- full-bodied and sweet, dried fruit and sweet spice flavours (fig, raisin, clove, cinnamon.
- colour added by caramel or aged for several years in oak
Key character of Tequila
Raw material: Agave
Production: Conversion, fermentation, distillation, oak maturation (optional)
What is the common labelling term or styles for Tequila?
Tequila must be produced from 51% blue agave in delimited region of Mexico
- blue agave (grass, citrus, earth and pepper.
- aged (oak aromas; vanilla and sweet spice
SILVER/BLANCO
-dry, intense vegetable ans spicy flavours (pepper)
GOLD/JOVEN/ORO
- unaged, caramel added for colour and soften the flavour
REPOSADO
- short aged in oak
AÑEJO
- aged
Key character of Vodka
Raw material: grain (barley), wheat, rye, grapes or potatoes
Production: fermentation, distillation, charcoal filtration (optional)
Vodka must be distilled to a high strength of at least 95-96% abv
What kind of techniques is used to add flavouring into spirits?
Maceration:
soaking the flavouring ingredients in the spirit
Re-distillation:
re-distilling the spirit with the flavouring ingredients
Essence
adding artificial flavours to the spirit
Key character of Gin
Neutral base spirit, flavoured with botanicals - must have juniper as the main flavouring to be called “gin”
- common flavouring is coriander seeds, angelica root, and citrus peel
Method of flavouring: maceration, re-distillation (pot still), essence
London Dry Gin
Distilled Gin
There are four main categories of Liqueurs. Which?
Dairy
Herb
Fruit
Seed/Nut
