Chapter 1: History, Fermentation, Distillation

Question 1

First person in known history to use the term “distillation” in the context of distilled spirits

Answer 1

Albukassen (10th-century Arabian chemist)

Question 2

Why distilled spirits are known as “ardent spirits”

Answer 2

From the Latin ‘ardere’ - “to burn” (refers to heat used in distillation)

Question 3

Latin word ‘destillaire’

Answer 3

Means “trickle down” (refers to drops of condensed liquid formed during distillation)

Question 4

Historic uses/context for alcohol consumption

Answer 4

• Stimulant properties
• Digestive properties
• Safer than water
• “Social lubricant”

Question 5

Type of alcohol produced via fermentation

Answer 5

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol)

Question 6

Definition of “potable”

Answer 6

A person may consume it in moderation without any undesirable effects

Question 7

Base ingredients that may be distilled via a two-stage process

Answer 7

• Grapes
• Other fruits
• Sugar-based materials such as honey, sugarcane juice, or molasses

Question 8

Base ingredients that must be distilled via a three-stage process

Answer 8

• Grains
• Potatoes
• Other starchy materials

Question 9

Conversion process required to transform starch to fermentable sugars

Answer 9

Saccharification

Question 10

Dead yeast cells, after fermentation is complete

Answer 10

Lees

Question 11

Flavourful compounds (such as acids, aldehydes, and esters) created during fermentation

Answer 11

Congeners

Question 12

Process that involves chemical changes due to heat (such as the heat of distillation)

Answer 12

Pyrolysis

Question 13

Boiling point of water vs. the boiling point of pure ethyl alcohol

Answer 13

• Water: 212 F / 100 C

* Ethyl alcohol: 173 F / 78 C

Question 14

Meaning of: water and ethyl alcohol are ‘miscible’

Answer 14

They dissolve in one another

Question 15

Highest alcohol by volume percentage considered achievable via commercial distillation

Answer 15

96.5% abv (higher levels require dehydration procedures / laboratory conditions)

Question 16

The first part of the distillation run to come off the still

Answer 16

Heads/foreshots

Question 17

Nonpotable compounds contained within the heads/foreshots

Answer 17

Low boilers

Question 18

The center part of the distillation run (the potable spirit)

Answer 18

The heart

Question 19

The last part of the distillation run to come off the still

Answer 19

Tails/feints

Question 20

Nonpotable compounds contained within the last part of the distillation run

Answer 20

High boilers

Question 21

The points of separation between the heads and the heart, and the heart and the tails

Answer 21

Cut points

Question 22

Oldest and most basic style of still

Answer 22

Pot still

Question 23

The pot still works in the ___ process

Answer 23

Batch process

Question 24

Brouillis or low wines

Answer 24

• Terms used for the first batch of the product taken off a pot still
• Typically contains around 25% abv

Question 25

Typical abv % of the result of the second round (batch) of pot still distillation

Answer 25

55% to 70% abv

Question 26

Process by which some liquid is returned to the bottom of the still while other portions vaporize and exit via the condenser

Answer 26

Reflux

Question 27

Original (1826) inventor of the column still

Answer 27

Robert Stein

Question 28

Person who later perfected (and whose name is now attached to) the column still

Answer 28

Aeneas Coffey (column stills are often called “patent stills” or “Coffey stills”)

Question 29

Hybrid Still

Answer 29

Pot-and-Column Still

Question 30

Character of spirits produced: pot still vs. column still

Answer 30

• Pot still: Low abv, higher level of congeners, distinct character
• Column still: Higher potential abv, lower level of congeners, cleaner & purer