Spirits & Distillation Flashcards
What is the minimum legal aging requirement for XO Cognac? • 2 years • 4 years • 6 years • 15 years • 20 years
6 years
Armagnac is a delimited appellation for what style of liquor? • Gin • Brandy • Whiskey • Vodka • Rum
Brandy
How many times is Cognac distilled? • Once • Twice • Three times • Four times
Twice
What is grappa? • Italian brandy • Italian pomace spirit • Italian apple eau du vie • Italian whiskey • Italian grape liqueur
Italian pomace spirit
Which of the following fruits provides the base for Calvados? • raspberry • cherry • apple • grapes • orange
apple
What is the principal flavoring agent of gin? • Citrus • Clove • Juniper Berries • Cucumber • Anise
Juniper Berries
Vodka must be distilled from fermented potatoes or grain.
• True
• False
False- Corn, Wheat & Grapes too
What style of whiskey is most associated with peat flavor? • Tennessee Whiskey • Irish Whiskey • Canadian Rye Whiskey • Bourbon • Scotch Whisky
Scotch Whisky
Which of the following styles of sake has brewers' alcohol added? • Nigori • Junmai Ginjo • Namazake • Honjozo • Junmai
Honjozo
Which of the following types of alcoholic beverage uniquely undergoes Multiple Parallel Fermentation? • Pomace Spirit • Sake • Brandy • Lambic Beer • Lager Beer
Sake
Irish Whiskey is usually distilled twice.
• True
• False
False
What is fermented in order to distill Demerara rum? • Beets • Sugarcane juice • Rye • Molasses • Potatoes
Molasses
Match the liqueur to the most appropriate flavor.
Pernod a. Coffee
Chambord b. Artichoke
Strega c. Vanilla
Kümmel d. Raspberry
Licor 43 e. Saffron
Cynar f. Anise
Midori g. Caraway Seed
Tia Maria h. Melon
Correct answers Pernod Anise Chambord Raspberry Strega Saffron Kümmel Caraway Seed Licor 43 Vanilla Cynar Artichoke Midori Melon Tia Maria Coffee
Tennessee Whiskey must be produced in Tennessee.
• True
• False
True
Place the following Cognac subregions in descending order of quality. Arranged from largest to smallest. Decreasing order: Petite Champagne
Bons Bois
Grande Champagne
Bois Ordinaires/Bois à Terroirs
Fins Bois
Borderies
Grande Champagne Petite Champagne Borderies Fins Bois Bons Bois Bois Ordinaires/Bois à Terroirs
Folle Blanche is the dominant grape of Cognac.
• True
• False
False
How is American Proof calculated?
• American Proof is double the alcohol by volume
• American Proof is half the alcohol by volume
• American Proof is 1.5 times the alcohol by volume
• American Proof is four times the alcohol by volume
• American Proof is equal to alcohol by volume
American Proof is double the alcohol by volume
Match the spirit to the appropriate base of fermentation.
Irish Whiskey a. Blue Agave
Scotch Whisky b. Maize
Bourbon c. Unmalted Barley
Rum d. Sugarcane
Tequila e. Malted Barley
Irish Whiskey Unmalted Barley
Scotch Whisky Malted Barley
Bourbon Maize
Rum Sugarcane
Tequila Blue Agave
On what French island in the Caribbean is AOP rhum agricole produced? • Martinique • Barbados • Jamaica • Guadeloupe
Martinique
Calvados_____ AOP requires a minimum 30% perry and three years in cask prior to release.
Domfrontais
Tequila aged for sixty days to one year in cask may be labeled _______?
Reposado
What is the general term for pomace spirit in France?
Marc
Which of the following styles of gin is preferred for the Pink Gin cocktail? • Genever • London Dry • Old Tom • Plymouth
Plymouth-produced by Plymouth, Coates, and Co. in England. It is fuller in body than London Dry Gin, and very aromatic
Old Tom Gin, another English style rarely encountered today, is lightly sweetened gin.
Which of the following states is not authorized for Tequila production? • Nayarit • Jalisco • Oaxaca • Guanajuato • Tamaulipas
Oaxaca
Match the distillery to the appropriate region.
Highland Park a. Speyside
Springbank b. Islay
Ardbeg c. Highlands
Glenfiddich d. Isle of Skye
Auchentoshan e. Campbeltown
Oban f. Lowlands
Talisker g. Isle of Orkney
Highland Park Isle of Orkney Springbank Campbeltown Ardbeg Islay Glenfiddich Speyside Auchentoshan Lowlands Oban Highlands Talisker Isle of Skye
Match the spirit or liqueur to the appropriate original country of origin.
Boonekamp a. Italy
Benedictine b. South Africa
Ouzo c. Japan
Averna d. Greece
Midori e. Guyana
Genever f. France
Pisco g. Brazil
Demerara Rum h. Holland
Cachaça i. Peru
Amarula j. Germany
Boonekamp Germany Benedictine France Ouzo Greece Averna Italy Midori Japan Genever Holland Pisco Peru Demerara Rum Guyana Cachaça Brazil Amarula South Africa
Modern spirits are generally distilled in either the more rudimentary pot still or the more modern continuous still (also called the ____, column, or patent still), a device developed in the early 1800s.
Coffey
In a simple pot still, fermented liquor, also known as (the “_____”) 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 flavor (or off-flavor) of a spirit.
wash
True or False: Vodka may be distilled from a number of different bases, such as potatoes, rye, grapes, beets, and molasses—if it will ferment it can potentially become vodka.
True
Scandinavian liquor _____ a clear spirit made from fermented potato or grain and flavored with caraway root and other aromatics, is basically flavored vodka.
acquavit
Producers of vodka include Russian Poland French American American Holland
Russia- Stolichnaya and Ikon
Poland- Chopin, a potato vodka, and Belvedere
French- Grey Goose
American - Tito’s Handmade Vodka American
Holland’s Ketel One
True or False: Popular London Dry Gins include Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon’s, and Boodles.
True
______gin a min 15% “malt wine”: a distillate of corn, rye and wheat. This traditional style is now labeled oude (“old”); cleaner, more neutral with less malt wine is labeled jonge (“young”). Corenwyn (“corn wine”) is a cask-aged version in which malt wine comprises at least 51% of the distillate.
Genever
Bourbon Whiskey, and today must be distilled from a minimum ____. Bourbon Whiskey is aged in charred new oak casks. If the bourbon is aged for less than four years, the distiller must state the length of aging on the bottle.
51% corn
True or False: Bourbon Whiskey may legally be produced anywhere in the US. Tennessee Whiskey, must be produced in Tennessee. It is currently only produced by Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel-must be filtered with maple charcoal prior to aging.
True
All Scotch whisky must be produced in Scotland, distilled twice (or more), and aged for at least three years. Single Malt Scotch is generally aged for at least ten years, with some whiskies released at 25 or 30 years of age.
As Scotch whisky must be at least 40% abv, most whiskies cannot be aged longer than 30 or 32 years in the barrel.
Highlands is the largest region and includes Oban, Glenmorangie, Dalwhinnie and Dalmore among its better-known distilleries
Lowlands Scotch is often the lightest and least smoky, making it an ideal aperitif. Glenkinchie, Auchentoshan, and Bladnoch are located in the Lowlands.
Speyside, a former subzone of Highlands, is home to a large number of distilleries. Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and the Macallan are produced in Speyside with water from the river Spey, and are generally milder and fruity in character.
Campbeltown is a once-flourishing region that now houses only three distilleries: Glen Scotia, Glengyle, and Springbank.
A pronounced peatiness, toasted seaweed character is apparent in Island distilleries. The major Scotch-producing islands- Skye-(Talisker), Jura, Mull, Arran, and Orkney- (Highland Park) What are some other noteable distillers?
Finally, the Islay distilleries—including Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig—produce the most peaty, smoky style of Scotch whisky.
Irish whiskey is traditionally distilled three times in a pot still, although many are today produced in a continuous still. The whiskey must be aged for a minimum three years prior to release; in practice most whiskies age for at least seven. Name a couple of distilleries.
Old Bushmills, Cooley, and New Midleton (the maker of Jameson)
unmalted barley in their whiskies
The Irish simply started using a large proportion of unmalted barley in their whiskies- lighter in character. Irish do not rely on peat for fires, so esulting whiskey is less smoky in character than Scotch. The peat-fired, Single Malt _____ produced by Cooley provides the exception.
Connemara
Canada and Japan also produce whiskey. Canadian rye whiskies are generally blended, and must be aged for _____ years before sale.
must be aged for three years before sale
Whereas whiskey is distilled from fermented grains,____ uses wine as its source material. In France, it is considered eau de vie—again, the “water of life”—of grapes.
Brandy- often presented as a more feminine counterpart to whiskey; in its premier forms the spirit evokes delicate aromas of flowers, fruit, subtle oak and spice.
By the EU-Brandy is a distillation of wine—not pomace— min abv of 36% a min oak aging of six months. Brandy may be produced across the world’s viticultural regions, notable production in France, California, Spain, Germany, S America and E.Europe. ____AOC and ___AOC, two delimited regions of brandy production in southwest France, have historically produced the world’s best brandies.
Cognac and Armagnac
Cognac AOC, northeast of the Bordeaux region. In descending order of quality, the six defined regions of production are?
Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires (Bois à Terroirs)
Grande Champagne/Petite Champagne-soft chalk, the outlying appellations have higher proportions of hard limestone, sand and clay
Cognac is distilled from low alcohol, acidic base wine produced primarily from ____ (St. Émilion), which accounts for nearly 98% of the vineyard acreage in the appellation.
Ugni Blanc
Name the two most common grapes besides Ugni Blanc, are permitted but rare. Cognac is distilled twice in a copper Charentais pot still.
Folle Blanche, Colombard
True or False: The first distillation produces a spirit of 28-32% alcohol called the brouillis. Several batches of brouillis are returned to the boiler to be distilled again, to extract the “soul” of Cognac. The second distillation, or bonne chauffe, is divided into several parts: the tête (heads), coeur (heart), secondes (second cuts) and queue (tails).
True
Cognac labels may give a designation of age, what are the three designations and aging requirements.
VS (“Very Special”) or *** indicates at least two years in cask, VSOP (“Very Special, or Superior, Old Pale”) indicates at least four years in cask, and XO (“Extra Old”) currently indicates at least six years in cask.
The Armagnac AOC is located to the southeast of Bordeaux and is divided into three regions of production:
Haut-Armagnac, Bas-Armagnac, and Armagnac-Ténarèze.
True or False: Armagnac is produced primarily from Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Folle Blanche (Picpoul), and Baco Blanc (the only hybrid grape authorized in any French AOC/P appellation).
True- distilled twice in a Charentais pot still, but approximately 95% of brandy from this region undergoes only one distillation in a copper continuous still.
in Armagnac the new aging requirements are for the three categories. All producers were required to adopt these new definitions of aging by 2013.
VS or *** indicates that the spirit rested in barrel for between 1 and 3 years, VSOP signifies 4 to 9 years of age, and XO or Hors d’Age denotes spirits that spend at least 10 years in barrel.
True or False: Vintage bottlings in Armagnac are more common than in Cognac, and must be aged a minimum of ten years in cask before release.
True
_____is protected designation for brandies produced in the region of sherry and aged in a similar solera method. Distilled in copper stills (alquitaras) from wines based on Airén and Palomino grapes. American oak sherry casks comprise the solera, which allows producers to achieve excellent consistency, What are aging requirements?
Brandy de Jerez; Brandies labeled Solera will have been aged for one year on average, whereas Solera Reserva brandies age for an average three years and Solera Gran Reserva brandies age for an average ten years.
Portugal produces brandies called aguardente, and the Italian producer Buton makes Cognac-style brandies from Trebbiano grapes—the Italian synonym for Ugni Blanc. ____, a brandy produced in Chile and Peru?
Pisco
___from (France), ___ (Italy), and ___ (Portugal) are examples of pomace spirits.
Marc; grappa; bagaceira
Jacopo Poli and Giannola Nonino, the first to distill a single varietal—Picolit—for grappa
_____, an eau de vie distilled from apple and pear cider and produced in the Normandy region of northern France, enjoys three delimited appellations:
Calvados–Calvados AOC, Calvados Domfrontais AOC, and Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC
Vieux or Réserve-(3)yrs of age, Vieille Réserve or VSOP with (4)yrs of age, and XO, Hors d’Age, Extra, or Napoléon with a min (6)yrsof age. Youngest Calvados labeled Fine.
Eaux de vies include Kirschwasser (Kirsch), made from black cherries, and Poire William, a spirit derived from Williams (Bartlett) pear perry, Raspberry (Framboise (clear spirit); Plum: Slivovitz, Mirabelle, Quetsch, and Prunelle. Fig (Boukha)-national drink of Tunisia, Apricot eau de vie (Barack Palinka) Hungary.
Other noteable eau de vies
____rum-light rum style (Guyana) spirit is distilled from molasses and sometimes aged for over a decade prior to release. ____, the Brazilian spirit that provides the base for the caipirinha cocktail, is produced from fermented sugarcane and is essentially light rum.
Demerara; Cachaça
Rhum agricole is a French style, produced mainly on Martinique—the Martinique AOC can claim to be the southernmost Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée in France, despite its location in the sunny Caribbean! Rhum agricole may only be produced from ____; column distillation is mandated in Martinique.
sugarcane juice
Tequila is a product of Mexico, primarily produced in and around the city of the same name in the western state of _____. The states of Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, and Michoacán also have limited regions of production. Tequila is produced from the fermented juice of the cooked_____, the heart of the blue agave plant.
Jalisco; piña (pineapple)
If bottled immediately after distillation– blanco, or silver. Aged 60 days- (1yr) in oak casks–reposado. Añejo maximum of (3yrs) in cask. In 2006 permits Tequila aged a min of (3yrs) in cask to be labeled Extra Añejo.
All Tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is Tequila in the state of Oaxaca.
True or False: Lower-alcohol bitters, such as Aperol or Campari, make better aperitifs and mixers, whereas higher-alcohol spirits, such as Fernet and Averna, are an after-dinner drink.
True
