Distilling spirits Flashcards

1
Q

What is the boiling point of ethanol?

A

78.5C

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2
Q

What are white spirits?

A

generally unaged

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3
Q

What are characters of golden and brown spirits?

A

usually aged in oak

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4
Q

What flavor does american oak contribute to spirits?

A

vanillin spice chocolate

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5
Q

What flavor does European oak impart on spirits?

A

colour tanning dried fruit flavours

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6
Q

What is brandy?

A

Brandy is an unsweetened spirit made by the distillation of fermented natural fresh grape juice

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7
Q

What are the 5 crus of cognac?

A

Grande Champagne

Petite Champagne

Borderiesm Vins Bois

Bons Bois

Bois Communs

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8
Q

In 1872 what grape varietal did Ugni Blanc replace?

A

Folle Blanche (Picpoul)

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9
Q

What barrels are generally used for Cognac aging?

A

1) 350-400L barrels
2) Mainly from Limousin (course grained faster againg)
3) Troncais (tighter grain more tannin)

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10
Q

What is the difference in raw material used in Cognac and Armanac?

A

Cognac is generally fermented around 8% and is composed of almost all Ugni Blanc Armagnac is fermented to around around 8-11% also from Ugni Blanc but also Baco 22a, Folle Blanche and Colombard are important

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11
Q

What are the aging minimums for Cognac?

A

VS minimum 2 years old (in practice 3-7)

VSOP minimum 4 years old (in practice 5-15)

XO minimum 6 years old (in practice up to 40)

Fine Champagne is a blend of petite and grand champagne

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12
Q

What are the aging minimums for Armagnac?

A

VS minimum 1 year

VSOP minimum 4 years

XO minimum 5 years old

Vintage: all the contents must come from a single year

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13
Q

What oak is used in Armagnac?

A

Mostly Limousin with some Alsace and Moniezun oak. Armagnac ages slowly

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14
Q

Where is spanish brandy made?

A

Jerez and Penedes

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15
Q

What are the raw materials used to make brandy in Jerez

A

Airen from La Mancha

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16
Q

What are the raw materials used to make brandy in Penedes

A

Parellada

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17
Q

What Maturation method is used in Jerez?

A

Solera

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18
Q

What maturatiohn method is used in Penedes

A

Solera or static aging

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19
Q

What are the aging requirements for Solera, Reserva and Solera Gran Reserva?

A

Solera: minimum 6 months ageing Reserva: minimum 1 year old Solera Gran Reserva: 100% holandas, minimum 3 years old

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20
Q

Describe German brandy

A

Generally made from imported base wines, then distilled to a high strength in column stills. Can be sweetened and flavoured

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21
Q

Describe Chilean brandy

A

Pisco: Aromatic grapes, generally unaged

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22
Q

What is Marc?

A

Made from grape pomace, similar to grappa

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23
Q

Describe Grappa

A

made in Northern Italy

it takes 140kg of grapes to make 1L Grappa (compared to 11.25kg grapes for 1L cognac)

Mostly Column still but there are some artisan pot-still producers.

Generally a blend of varietals but single varietal grappas are becoming more common

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24
Q

Name 3 brandy cocktails

A

Brandy Alexander, SIdecar, Champagne Cocktail, Pisco Sour

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25
Q

Where is Calvados?

A

delimited zone in Normandy/Brittany

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26
Q

What is the distillation for Calvados?

A

Double pot still (compulsory for pads d’Auge) or column still 65-70% abv.

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27
Q

What are the aging requirements for Calvados?

A

Fine: Minimum 3 years

Vieux/Reserve: minimum 3 years

VO/VSOP/Vielle Reserve: minimum 4 years

XO: Minimum 6 years

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28
Q

What is Fine brandy in France?

A

AOC controlled- light brandy produced in many wine regions

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29
Q

What is Generic brandy in France?

A

mostly neutral grape spirit that is aged for 12 months before caramel and sugar are added.

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30
Q

What is Kirsch made from?

A

Cherries

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31
Q

What is Poire William made from?

A

Williams Pears

32
Q

What is Framboise made from?

A

Raspberries

33
Q

What is Mirabelle made from?

A

Yellow plums

34
Q

What are the sub regions for Scotch production?

A

Highlands/Islands,

Islay,

Speyside

Lowlands

35
Q

What are the raw materials for Scotch production?

A

Malted barley is milled, and then hot water extrats the sugar to create a sugary wort, which is then fermented to create a wash of 7-10% ABV

36
Q

How is Scotch distilled?

A

Copper pot stills are required by law. Usually a double distillation in relatively large pot stills, heated by steam coils.

37
Q

What is the maturation method of scotch?

A

Must be aged in Scotland for at least 3 years in oak barrels of a maximum 700L. Most malts are aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, but ex-Sherry vessels are also used. Other casks may be used for ‘finishin’ the whiskey

38
Q

What are single and blended malts?

A

Single malt: a whiskey that comes from a single distillery Blended malt: a blend of whiskies from several malt distilleries

39
Q

Where are you likely to find Scotch Grain Whiskey?

A

At one of the 7 large distilleries mostly located in coastal Lowland locations

40
Q

What is the max distilled ABV for Scotch Grain Whiskey?

A

94.8% ABV in large continuous still

41
Q

What are single and blended grain Scotch Grain Whiskey?

A

Single Grain: whiskies are released in small quantities Blended Grain: whiskies combining more than one grain distillery

42
Q

What are the 3 Irish Whiskey distilleries and where are they?

A

Midleton (Co Cork) Bushmills (Co Antrim, NI) Cooley (Co Louth)

43
Q

What are the raw materials used at each Irish Whiskey distillery?

A

Midleton: various grains, mainly maize and barley

Cooley: various grains, including maize, malted and unmalted barley, and peated barley, depending on the product

Bushmills: malted barley, plus grain whiskey from Midleton

44
Q

What is the ageing requirement for Irish Whiskey?

A

3 years in a variety of used casks Max 700L

45
Q

Name the 3 styles of american straight whiskies

A

Bourbon

Tennessee

Straight Rye

46
Q

What is the main difference between tennessee whiskey and bourbon?

A

The Lincoln County Process where Tennessee Whiskey is run through maple-wood charcoal

47
Q

What is american straight whisky?

A

A whisky made from a minimum of 51% of one grain, distilled to no more than 80% abv, and aged for a minimum of two years in new oak casks

48
Q

What is the aging requirement for Canadian Whisky?

A

3 years in oak (a variety are used but ex-Bourbon is most common)

49
Q

Name 5 whisky cocktails

A

Whisky Sour

Rusty Nail

Irish Coffee

Julep

Old Fashioned

Manhattan

50
Q

What are the raw materials and distillation of Canadian whisky?

A

Usually a blend of lightly-flavored, high-strength column-still corn whisky, with some flavoring whiskies (based on rye, maize or barley). Up to9.09% fruit-based wine (such as Sherry) can be added

51
Q

Describe vodka

A

An unaged spirit, distilled to a high strength so that little character of the base material remains. It may be flavoured

52
Q

What are the raw materials used for Vodka production?

A

Any source of fermentable sugars. Cereal grains are most common (rye barley wheat, potato and grape)

53
Q

What is the distillation method used for Vodka

A

Generally column still but sometimes pot-still for premium brands distilled to 96% abv Often filtered through activated charcoal to remove impurities and colour then reduced to a bottling strength (minimum 37.5% abv)

54
Q

Describe Russian vodka

A

Usually wheat-based. Light in flabour, with a spirity bite.

55
Q

Describe Polish Vodka

A

Usually rye-based. Subtly spicy and citric. Some potato vodkas also produced (soft and creamy)

56
Q

Describe Scandinavian Vodka

A

Usually based on Barley Wheat or Rye

57
Q

Describe Rum

A

A spirit distilled in a country where sugar cane is grown from a wash of either molasses+water

58
Q

Describe Barbados rum

A

Elegant, perfumed rums

59
Q

Describe Jamaica rum

A

Pungent, estery rums (white golden and dark)

60
Q

Describe Guyana rum

A

Spicy dark rums that are lighter in body than those of Jamaica

61
Q

Describe the rum of French Antilles

A

Martinique and Guadeloupe specialise in Rhum agricole, a grassy fruity style of rum made from fermented cane juice

62
Q

Describe Tequila

A

A spirit made from a distilled wash where most of the sugars come from Blue Agave grown in the delimited Tequila regions. May be aged or unaged

63
Q

What distillation method is used for Tequila

A

distilled twice in copper or stainless steel pot stills or continuous stills. First distillation to 20% abv, second to around 55%

64
Q

What raw materials are used for making tequila?

A

The heart of Blue Agave. It is harvested at 7-10 years old

cooked in a steam autoclave for 6-14 hours.

After crushing and shredding, the juice extracted.

A mixture of other sugars may then be added (agave sugars must make a minimum of 51% of the total.)

65
Q

What are the styles of Tequila

A

Silver: Unaged

Gold: EIther unaged but coloured with caramel, or a blend of white and older Tequilas

Reposado: minimum of 2 months in oak

Anejo: Minimum of one year in oak casks (max 600L)

Mezcal: a Tequila-type spirit made from other species of Agave or from outside the delimited Tequila zone. Can be very pungent

66
Q

Describe Gin

A

A spirit flavoured with botanicals of which Juniper must dominate

67
Q

What are the raw materials for Gin?

A

Raw spirit usually grain based but can be molasses or sugar beet, is redistilled to create a highly recitified spirit of 96% then reduced to around 60%

68
Q

What botanicals are used for Gin production?

A

juniper berries

coriander

citrus peel

other herbs and spices.

69
Q

Describe London Dry Gin

A

must be a distilled gin (not cold compounded). May come from anywhere

70
Q

Describe Plymouth Gin

A

Must come from Plymouth; uses only sweet botanicals

71
Q

Describe Dutch

A

Oude Genever is made from a pot-still, rye or barley based spirits. It is pungent and oily, but with a less fresh juniper character than other gins

72
Q

What distillation method is used to make gin?

A

Botanicals are added to the spirit, or placed in a still above the base spirit. This is then redistilled in a pot still to fix the botanical aromas. Multiple distillation may take place, with different botanicals being added at each stage

73
Q

How is cheap gin made?

A

flavourings are added directly to the spirit (cold compounding) and no further distillation takes place

74
Q

Describe akavit

A

A spirit flavoured with spices and herbs of which caraway must dominate

75
Q

What is the raw material for akavit?

A

Grain based

caraway for flavouring

anise,

citrus peel

other herbs and spices

76
Q

What is a liqueur?

A

A liquid that includes a distilled spirit component and flavourings and a minimum of 100g/l sugar