Chapter 1: History, Fermentation, Distillation Flashcards
First person in known history to use the term “distillation” in the context of distilled spirits
Albukassen (10th-century Arabian chemist)
Why distilled spirits are known as “ardent spirits”
From the Latin ‘ardere’ - “to burn” (refers to heat used in distillation)
Latin word ‘destillaire’
Means “trickle down” (refers to drops of condensed liquid formed during distillation)
Historic uses/context for alcohol consumption
- Stimulant properties
- Digestive properties
- Safer than water
- “Social lubricant”
Type of alcohol produced via fermentation
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)
Definition of “potable”
A person may consume it in moderation without any undesirable effects
Base ingredients that may be distilled via a two-stage process
- Grapes
- Other fruits
- Sugar-based materials such as honey, sugarcane juice, or molasses
Base ingredients that must be distilled via a three-stage process
- Grains
- Potatoes
- Other starchy materials
Conversion process required to transform starch to fermentable sugars
Saccharification
Dead yeast cells, after fermentation is complete
Lees
Flavourful compounds (such as acids, aldehydes, and esters) created during fermentation
Congeners
Process that involves chemical changes due to heat (such as the heat of distillation)
Pyrolysis
Boiling point of water vs. the boiling point of pure ethyl alcohol
- Water: 212 F / 100 C
* Ethyl alcohol: 173 F / 78 C
Meaning of: water and ethyl alcohol are ‘miscible’
They dissolve in one another
Highest alcohol by volume percentage considered achievable via commercial distillation
96.5% abv (higher levels require dehydration procedures / laboratory conditions)
The first part of the distillation run to come off the still
Heads/foreshots
Nonpotable compounds contained within the heads/foreshots
Low boilers
The center part of the distillation run (the potable spirit)
The heart
The last part of the distillation run to come off the still
Tails/feints
Nonpotable compounds contained within the last part of the distillation run
High boilers
The points of separation between the heads and the heart, and the heart and the tails
Cut points
Oldest and most basic style of still
Pot still
The pot still works in the ___ process
Batch process
Brouillis or low wines
- Terms used for the first batch of the product taken off a pot still
- Typically contains around 25% abv
Typical abv % of the result of the second round (batch) of pot still distillation
55% to 70% abv
Process by which some liquid is returned to the bottom of the still while other portions vaporize and exit via the condenser
Reflux
Original (1826) inventor of the column still
Robert Stein
Person who later perfected (and whose name is now attached to) the column still
Aeneas Coffey (column stills are often called “patent stills” or “Coffey stills”)
Hybrid Still
Pot-and-Column Still
Character of spirits produced: pot still vs. column still
- Pot still: Low abv, higher level of congeners, distinct character
- Column still: Higher potential abv, lower level of congeners, cleaner & purer
