Spirits and Distillation Flashcards
What is the main difference between a fermented alcoholic beverage such as beer or wine and a spirit?
A spirit, unlike wine or beer, is not a fermented beverage; rather, it is the product of a distillation of a fermented beverage.
What premise does the process of distillation rely on?
Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water.
What is the boiling point of alcohol?
At sea level, ethyl alcohol boils at approximately 173 degrees Fahrenheit (78 degrees Celsius); thus, alcoholic vapors can be separated from liquid water and collected in a still.
What is the principle behind fractional distillation?
The separation of two liquids with different boiling points is the principle behind fractional distillation.
Historically what was fractional distillation used for?
Ancient Babylonians used fractional distillation to make perfumes, and Aristotle was perhaps the first to note that the condensation of boiled seawater was not salty.
Who improved the alembic still—the precursor to the pot still?
Jābir ibn Ḥayyān, an eighth-century Arabic chemist-alchemist who developed an improved alembic still—the precursor to the pot still—which allowed for a much purer distillation.
What is the name alcohol derived from?
“Alcohol” is derived from the Arabic al-koh’l, a cosmetic powder purified through distillation.
What are the two main types of stills used today?
Modern spirits are generally distilled in either the more rudimentary pot still or the more modern continuous still (also called the Coffey, column, or patent still).
How does a pot still work, #1?
In a simple pot still, fermented liquor (the wash) is placed into a closed vessel, and heat is applied directly to the vessel, vaporizing the ethyl alcohol, a certain amount of water, and congeners—volatile molecules, such as esters, other alcohols, and aldehydes, which contribute to the flavors (or off-flavors) of a spirit.
How does a pot still work #2?
These vapors travel up through the vessel and into a condensing coil. The vapors will be cooled, condensed into liquid, and collected in a separate vessel. In this simple form, the spirit will be impure.
How does a pot still work #3?
The distiller must take care to discard the foreshots—the first vapors to condense—as these contain congeners such as methanol, a toxic alcohol. The tails are also discarded, as unwanted congeners tend to collect in the distillate residue.
Describe the remaining spirit after the tail and the foreshots have been discarded in the distillation process.
The retained spirit will be extremely flavorful; however, some styles of liquor require a cleaner character and will undergo continuous distillation.
What is the major difference(s) between a continuous still and fractional distillation?
A continuous still has two columns (the analyzer and the rectifier) **and uses steam, rather than direct heat, to vaporize the alcohol. In this still, the alcohol is condensed in a purer fashion, stripping the liquor of excess congeners and creating a higher-alcohol spirit. While congeners are responsible for impurities, they are also the source of flavor; thus, the continuous still sacrifices distinction for a clean spirit.
What color are spirits after distillation?
After distillation, all spirits are colorless. Brown spirits, such as brandy and Scotch whisky, gain color and character from aging in oak casks.
T or F: Bottled spirits like wine continue to gain complexity.
False: Bottled spirits, unlike wine, do not continue to develop.
