Exam III Review

Question 1

Distillation Process Purpose

Answer 1

To increase the alcohol level.

Question 2

Ethanol (drinkable alcohol)

Answer 2

Boils at a lower temp (173F) than water (212F)

Question 3

Pot Stills

Answer 3

• Oldest + simple still

- copper pot shaped

Question 4

Pot still components (in order to boiling, first to last)

Answer 4

• head (highly volatile), heat (spirit), tails (least volatile)

Question 5

Column Stills

Answer 5

• tall + vertical
• Continuous process
• internally divided into plates
• mini-distillations on each plate increases alcohol at each level
• high strength, almost pure ethanol

Question 6

Post distillation: Maturation

Answer 6

• unaged (stainless steel tank)

- aged (oak vessels)

Question 7

Post Distillation: Oak

Answer 7

• Softens alcohol
• adds tannins, color (caramel or oak, or removed by charcoal filtration), and flavor
• Water (reduced to bottling strength 40% abv with de-mineralized water).

Question 8

Spirit Label Reading

Answer 8

• Alcohol proof is a measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage.
• In the U.S. alcohol proof is defined as twice the percentage of ABV.

Question 9

Spirit Category and Styles

Answer 9

Flavor of spirit depends on:

• type of raw materials (fruit, gain, sugar cane)
• type of distillation process (high strangth and neutral, or low strength and characterful)
• maturation (if any: period of time in oak and type of oak)

Question 10

Brandy

Answer 10

• Wine is made by fermenting who, fresh grapes
• brandy is a distilled wine
• most brandy is aged in oak and/or colored with caramel before bottling, so it is brown or amber in color.

Question 11

Brandy - Cognae

Answer 11

• aged in oak brandy
• region: north of bordeaux
• must be double distilled in copper pot still

Question 12

Brandy Labeling Terms

Answer 12

VS = aged 2 years
VSOP = aged at least 4 years
XO (Napoleon) = aged at least 6 years

Question 13

What is Rum

Answer 13

• rum created from the fermentation and distillation of some form of sugar cane product (molasses most common, sugar cane juice, sugar).

Question 14

Rum in the US

Answer 14

• any product of sugar cane
• distilled to a strength of less than 190 proof (95% ABV)
• must be bottle equal to or greater than 80 proof (40% ABV)

Question 15

Rum in EU

Answer 15

• sugar product
• distilled less than 96% ABV (192 proof)
• bottled equal or greater than 37.5% (40% ABV)
• add sugar but with limit

Question 16

Rum making

Answer 16

• make sugary liquid
• fermentation
• distillation
• maturation (longer does not mean better rum + maturation time dependent on climate/location)

Question 17

Tequila origin

Answer 17

• only select municipalities within only 5 Mexican States can grow agave and produce Tequila
• agave has over 300 species

Question 18

Two types of tequila

Answer 18

Mixto:

• tequila made with less than 100% blue agave
• must be a minimum of 51% blue agave
• 100% blue agave tequila

Question 19

Five classifications of Tequila

Answer 19

Silver/blanco/plata
- Clear + rested less than 2 months
Joven/Gold/Oro
- unaged or up to 2 months; can contain caramel coloring/flavor
Reposado
- aged in oak for min. 2 months but less than 1 year.
Anejo
- aged in barrels for min. 1 year - 3 years
Extra Anejo
- aged for 3+ years

Question 20

Whiskey raw materials

Answer 20

Barley, corn, rye, wheat

Question 21

Whiskey - maturation in oak

Answer 21

Going in:
- color and congeners + oxygen
Going out:
- Concentration via evaporation + char removes harsh congeners

Question 22

Whiskey - Post-distillation processes

Answer 22

• barrel age
• previous contents (wood finishing)
• temperature (hot or cool)
• blending (batch consistency + complexity)
• Carmel color (batch consistency)
• chill filtration (prevents haze)

Question 23

Scotch Whiskey

Answer 23

• distilled and matured in Scotland
• aged form min. 3 years in oak
• age statement is that of youngest spirit involved
• single malt = 100% malted barley + min. 3 years in oak
• Peat: partly decayed vegetation (used as fuel during malting + gives the malt a smokey flavor)

Question 24

Irish Whiskey

Answer 24

• Grains barley and other grains
• distilled: column stills are used to make mostly whiskies from corn.
• maturation: minimum of 3 years

Question 25

Cocktail ingredients

Answer 25

• Cocktail prime directive = the better the ingredients than the better the cocktail.
• spirit
• mixers
• garnish
• ice

Question 26

Cocktail templates

Answer 26

The vast majority of cocktails stem from a few basic recipes or templates.

Question 27

Cocktail templates - highball

Answer 27

Spirit + mixer

Question 28

Cocktail templates - sour

Answer 28

spirit + citrus + simple

Question 29

Cocktail templates - daisy

Answer 29

Spirit + liqueur + citrus

Question 30

Cocktail templates - old fashioned

Answer 30

Spirit + sugar + bitters + water

Question 31

Vodka

Answer 31

• Produced anywhere in the word
• raw materials = grans, grapes, potato
• Distilled to 95-96% ABV column still (add water to bottling strength about 40% ABV)
• typically unaged

Question 32

Vodka styles

Answer 32

• light + neutral (most charcoal filtered)
• some more characterful = Polish and Russian
• flavoring agents added after the Vodka has been distilled.

Question 33

Gin

Answer 33

• Neutral base spirit flavored with botanicals
• must use junipers as the main botanical
• sugar source = grain; typically corn or malted barley
• clear
• area of production: England, United States, Holland.
• all gins are typically unaged

Question 34

Gin styles

Answer 34

• London dry gin (re-distilled in a pot still + no flavoring after distillation)
• distilled gin (similar to London dry + flavoring can be added after distillation
• Inexpensive gin (essences)