SPIRITS Flashcards
Explain the principals of destillation
raw material containing sugars
heat (alcohol vapors at a lower degree than water, 78 C)
collect spirit in pot still (fire and wash) or continous still (coils and water)
bottle or age in barrel
flavours can be included in all of the steps
maseration, infusion, used oak
how is scotch whisky made?
Made IN Scotland, quality akin to wine
four types:
single malt
vatted malt
blended
single grain
Malt whisky production:
Barley in water, spread on concrete floor
Germination
Heating barley to stop germination, adding smoked flavours
Malt is cracked
Boiling water adding to mash-tun to extract sugars and flavours
Wort is drawn off, and fermented
This wash is twice distilled in a pot still
How is Irish whiskey made? What types exist? Name some special terms used
Made IN Ireland
wash of malted and unmalted barley with grain
germination stopped by KILN rather than fire
giving irish Whiskey less smoked taint than scottish
Bushmills, JAmeson, Tullamore Dew, Powers, Redbreast
How is US Whiskey made? What types exists? Name some special terms used
Bourbon is American whiskey made from maize, rye and malted barley
At least 51% corn (maize) spirit
Continous still and maturred andnew oak casks for min. 2 yrs
95% produced in Kentucky
American rye whiskey and Canadian rye whiskeys are made from rye.
How is cognac made? Name some special terms used
Brandy is the distillation of the fermented juice of fresh grapes without addition of other spirits
must is fermented in 7-10 days
wine is acidic, harsh with 7-9 % abv
Charentais stills are used (copper pot stills)
Brouillis=
78C heat where the vaporized alcohol condenses into the Brouillis (raw spirit, ca. 28-32 % abv)
Bon Chauffe=
Second distillation is called bon chauffe
Couer or heart=
middle portion of the bon chauffe
Tête is the first part, queue the last
Tête-Couer-Queue during 2nd distillation
Couer is run off into Limousin or Troncais oak to mature (min 3 years)
It takes appr. nine casks of wine to produce one cask of bon chauffe
Cognac don’t mature after bottling
How is armagnac made? Name some special terms used
This brandy is produced in Armagnac, south of Cognac
Three regions
Haut-Armagnac (sandy soil)
Bas-Armagnac (sandy soil, the best)
Tènaréze
Four AOPs:
Armagnac
Armagnac-Ténaréze
Bas-Armagnac
Haut-Armagnac
Using a contionous still, so armagnac (58%) gets lesser abv than Cognac (ca. 72%)
Armagnac has therefore more flavour
Same procedure as Cognac
Maturing in sapping oak called Monlezun oak, ca 10 years maturing, no caramel added
How is calvados made? Name some special terms used
made from distilled fermented apple and pear juice, dry, apple-flavoured and brown in colour
Made in continuous still, but not Pays d´Auge (pot still)
Calvados AOP
Calvados Pays d´Auge (best)
Calvados Domfrontais AOP
How is Tequila made? Name some special terms used
Jalisco (best)
Nayarit
Guanajuato
Michoacán
Tamaulipas
Produced from agave tequilana or blue agave:
the heart (pina) is hacked off, chopped and steamed
sugars and yeast added
fermentation in stainless steel vat, 2 days -> pulque
double distilling to 52-53% abv
filtered and matured in white oak casks for 8 months to seven years
Joven abocado/Oro
unaged, colouradded
Blanco/Joven/Plata
60 days
Reposado
60 days to 1 year
Anejo/extra
aged wooden barrels (max 600L), min 3 years
Curado is flavoured tequila
How is gin made? Name some special terms used
gin is made by
distilling a wash made from fermented grain, malted barley, maize or rye
often flavoured with botanicals, esp. juniper berries (einebær), coriander, angelica root, liquorice
London dry Gin = very dry
Plymouth Gin = unsweetend, more aromatic than london dry
Sloe Gin = a liqueur as it is sweetened
Old Tom Gin= softer than London dry
Dutch gin or genever gin = dutch, made from malted barley, wheat, corn and rye and aged before sale
How is vodka made? Name some special terms used
distilled in a continous still (odourless 96% ABV)
re-distilled to get alcohol down and then watered out to desired ABV
Traditional vodka is distilled from wheat and odourless
best made from rye, molasses, grains
How is rum made? Name some special terms used
spirit distilled from fermented molasses or sugar cane sugar
two main styles of rum: light or dark
White or silver rum=
Cuba, Puetro rico, Jamaica, stainless steel
Demerara rum
Guyana, river Demerara, 3 yrs wood, adjusted with caramel
Dark or black rum
rich, fullbodied from Jamaica
Wood for 5-7 yrs, adjusted with caramel
Golden rum and spiced rum =
oak maturation , flavoured with spices
Name the aging regimes in Cognac production
Terms are based on minimum age in cask before bottling
***/VS = min. 2 years (cocktail cognacs)
VSOP = Very special old pale, 4 years
Napoleon = 6 years
XO = 10 years
XXO = 14 years
Issued by
Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC)
Name the aging regimes in Armagnac production
What qualities, blending and aging regimes are there?
Armagnac terms on labels, stating the youngest wine in the blend
*** = 1-3 years
VSOP = 4-9 years
Napoleon = 6-9 years
XO = min. 10 years
Name the aging regimes in Calvados production
What qualities, blending and aging regimes are there?
Terms refer to minimum maturation on oak casks
*** = 2 years
Vieux/Réserve = 3 years
VO, Vielle Réserve = 4 years
XO, Hors d´Âge, Napoleon = 6 years
Âge Inconnu = 6-20 years
