Spirit Production

Question 1

What is a spirit?

Answer 1

distilled beverage that contains alcohol

Question 2

Why are they called spirits?

Answer 2

Alcohol stems from Arabic word - “al-ko’hl” - the 8th century meaning of this word is “spirit” - which means both ghost and “essence”

Question 3

Spirits produced from starchy materials -eg, rice or potatoes- require a ….. process

Answer 3

conversion process known as saccharification - typically accomplished by heating the starch to trigger the production of particular enzymes which then create a chemical conversion of starch into fermentable sugars

Question 4

starchy grains that undergo an enzymatic conversion ferment into a “beer” of -% ABV

Answer 4

5-10 ABV

Question 5

water boiling point

Answer 5

212 F

Question 6

ethyl alcohol boiling point

Answer 6

173 F

Question 7

Distillation process is contingent on this simple fact

Answer 7

water has a higher boiling point than ethyl alcohol

Question 8

highest abv possible in commercial distillation

Answer 8

96.5

Question 9

congeners

Answer 9

compounds such as acids, esters, aldeydes, fusel oils, and other alcohols developed during fermentation

Question 10

heads aka foreshots

Answer 10

first part of the distillate to come off the still - contains lots of volatile compounds. may be discarded

Question 11

tails aka fents

Answer 11

last part of the distillate run - includes fusel oils, acetic acids. may be discareded

Question 12

center part of the distillate

Answer 12

heart

Question 13

Rectification

Answer 13

process of concentrating the alcohol content in a liquid by repeated sistillation

Question 14

the early method of determining the strength of distillate

Answer 14

each quantities of spirit and gunpowder were mixed, and a flame applied.

no burn = too weak
burned too brightly = too strong
even burn with a blue flame = proven to be 100% pure , this is now known as 100 proof

Question 15

Pot still has two essential parts

Answer 15

the still itself and a worm condenser

Question 16

Spirits produced via pot still are generally less ___ & contain more _____

Answer 16

pure / congeners

Question 17

t/f: spirits produced via pot tend to be flavorful with distinct characteristics

Answer 17

true

Question 18

pot still distillation output cap

Answer 18

~140 Proof

Question 19

Oak heartwood contains these 3 structural components

Answer 19

cellulose
hemicellulose
lignin

Question 20

the 6 processes of spirit maturation in oak

Answer 20

extraction - water and alcohol soak into the oak and extract congener flavors and sweetness
evaporation - “angel’s share: 2-10% of the liquid per year
oxidation - air enters the barrel via the porous oak - oxygen in the air dissolves in the spirit
concentration - all the flavors from exactrion and oxidation are concentrated in the reduced volume of the liquid
filtration - the charring of the barrel acts as an activated charcoal filter - abosrbing aldehydes and sulfur compounds - smoothing out of the spirit
coloration - the char of the barrel contributes a reddish color the spirit. oxidation darkens and changes the color as well

these all occur simultaneously

Question 21

the more char on a barrel, the ____ compounds readily able to be extracted

Answer 21

more

Question 22

a single cask release may involve ___ to ____ individually numbered bottles

Answer 22

100 to 300

Question 23

“small batch”

Answer 23

unregulated term

Question 24

Define “brandy”

Answer 24

spirit produced by distilling wine or a fermented mash of fruit