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WSET 2 Wine & Sprits > 6. Spirits > Flashcards

6. Spirits Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the base material for rum?

A

Molasses

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2
Q

Which of the following may be used as a base material for vodka?

  1. Cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, etc)
  2. Grapes
  3. Potatoes
  4. Sugar cane
A 
All!
Cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, etc), Grapes, Potatoes, Sugar cane
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3
Q

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

A

They may produce spirits with a range of strengths, and styles

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4
Q

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

A

Amber colour; complex floral, fruity and woody aromas

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5
Q

What is the differences between Bourbon and a single Malt Whiskey?

A

Bourbon is sweeter and has no peat smoke aromas

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6
Q

What is the aim of distillation?

A

To increase the alcohol level in the liquid by separating the alcohol from the alcohol liquid

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7
Q

Describe the distillation process…

A
  1. Alcohol liquid
  2. Heated (boiling temp: alcohol 78,3%; water 100%
  3. Liquid boils, alcohol evaporates
  4. Alcoholic vapour travels up the still to condenser
  5. Cooled
  6. Vapour condenses
  7. New Make Spirit
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8
Q

What are the two broad categories of stills used during distillation and what is the differences?

A 
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
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9
Q

What is the result after distillation in pot stills?

A

Characterful spirit with low strength

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10
Q

What is the result after distillation in column stills?

A

Smooth, light character with high strength

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11
Q

Describe the process of post distillation…

A

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

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12
Q

What describes Brandy?

A

Brandy is distilled wine and mostly aged in oak and/or coloured with caramel.

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13
Q

Mention two kinds of brandy

A

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)

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14
Q

What are the labelling terms for brandy?

A

VS; VSOP; XO (Napoléon)

- Indicate the age of a spirit

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15
Q

Key character of Whiskey

A

Raw material: grains (barley, rye, corn)

Production: Conversion, fermentation, distillation, oak maturation

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16
Q

What is the common labelling term for Whiskey?

A

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

17
Q

What is conversion?

A

Before fermentation the grains must go through a process to turn the insoluble starch to fermentable sugars

18
Q

Key character of Rum

A

Raw material: Sugar cane (molasses)

Production: Fermentation, distillation, oak maturation (optional)

19
Q

What is the common labelling term or styles for Rum?

A

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
20
Q

Key character of Tequila

A

Raw material: Agave

Production: Conversion, fermentation, distillation, oak maturation (optional)

21
Q

What is the common labelling term or styles for Tequila?

A

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

22
Q

Key character of Vodka

A

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

23
Q

What kind of techniques is used to add flavouring into spirits?

A

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

24
Q

Key character of Gin

A

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

25
Q

There are four main categories of Liqueurs. Which?

A

Dairy
Herb
Fruit
Seed/Nut

WSET 2 Wine & Sprits (8 decks)

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