Unit 5 - Lesson 8 - GNS and Vodka Flashcards
What stage is neutral spirits distillation?
Intermediate - provides base alcohol for number of products vodka, gin, etc
What are neutral spirits known around the world?
Rectified spirit
Potable Alcohol of Agricultural Origin
Who generally makes NS?
Large producers
What is the difference between NS v GNS?
Neutral Spirits made from grain, sugar, beets, molasses, grapes
Grain NS- - only made from grain
What makes the quality in NS
Raw materials can influence the quality
What was the historical raw material and why did it change?
Whole Wheat or Maize
Got more expensive
What is the NS wash similar to?
Both pot and continuous
Has debris eg solids, yeast, alcohol, flavor - esters, aldehydes, higher alcohols, phenols and others
What is the key difference for NS than all other spirits?
Remove everything but alcohol and water
No flavor compounds
How to make NS
- Primary Stripping Column and rectify
- Extractive distillation (hyrdo-selection)
- 2nd Distillation & Rectify
- De-methylation
What is the issue with NS and what steps required?
Getting to NS is similar to whisky 2 column <94.7% ABV & then iso-amyl is decanted and removed
There are still some trace components
Need Hyrdo-Selection (Extractive Distillation)
What is Hyrdo-Selection (Extractive Distillation)?
Exploits the fact the remaining trace elements are more volatile that water/alcohol are low ABV
& Less volatile with water/alcohol at high ABV (azeotrope bonds make 97.2% ABV max) - basically going to remix water and decant
Describe Extractive Distillation
- 96% ABV is feed
- only 2/3 up the column
- Hot water added from top of column at 4X than alcohol added
- steam for energy
- Mix is diluted as water descends
- Steam strips the impurities for liquid
- Vapors ascend the columns
- Water pulls back the alcohol leaving vapors with trace volatile compounds
- vapors rise out of column
10 Remaining ABC 15-20%
How many distillation columns for NS?
Depended. if specs want a methane strip need a column
Not one size fits all
Step 1 in NS - Primary distillation of NS
- Stripping column and 1st stage rectifying
- Strips incoming wash fee
- Rectifies to 96% ABV
Can you 2-column or traditional Coffer
Step 2: NS distillation - Hydro Selection (Extraction)
- Strip out the remaining trace compounds
- 96% ABV wash
- Dilute with hot water making the trace compounds more volatile in the mix
- Steam it
- A lower ABV Water recapture alcohol
- Steam vaporizes away the remaining trace compounds
- ABV dropped to 15-20%
Step 3: NS Distillation - Secondary Rectification
- 15-20% ABV needs to get to final strength
- Feed enters 1/4 (around 50-80 plates)
- Vapor ascends stripping high volatiles and trace compounds
- The hot water leaves and used in the Hydro-extractive distillation column
- Fusel Oil, n-propyl and iso-butyl alcohol removed for further processing
How many continuous columns for NS?
3 different continuous columns
How big are the columns?
Huge 50-80 plates
Step 4: NS Distillation - Alcohol recovery/Offtake
- Used in separate and smaller distillation processes
- Fusel oil is decanted in water
- Separated and moved to bulk storage for sale as a co-product
Why get rid of high feints or dispose of other co-products?
You dont it leads to alcohol loss
Why recover offtake products?
- Concentrate the impurity stream.
- Collect as much alcohol from the fusel oil column as possible.
- Further extract the alcohol from the feints streams.
Where do recovered alcohols go?
Any recovered alcohol is recycled back either to the primary rectification or hydro-extractive distillation.
What toxic alcohol is found in spirits
Methyl alcohol at low levels
What cannot remove methyl alcohol?
Rectification
Hydro-extractive
2nd Rectification
YOU NEED A DE-METHYLISER
What is more volatile methyl alcohol or alcohol?
Methyl alcohol
Where can you methyl alcohol on plates for NS distilling?
Plates 40-65
How does a de-methylation column work?
- methyl alcohol is more volatile than alcohol, it increases as it ascends the column
- falling liquid is captured by alcohol
- Reflux at top relufx liquid back
- While methyl is recovered in 2nd heas
- Sell as co-product
NS Summary
- NS is intensive
- Many columns - Rectification and Extraction
- For other alcohol recover it is cost / benefit (including energy usage)
How to remove last water from 97.2% ABV
Use a molecular sieve (zeolite)
Removes water vapor steam by trapping it precisely sized pores of its own lattice structure
What was vodka’s initial/traditional strength?
20% ABV
What was vodka’s initial/traditional strength?
20% ABV
EU 2008 definition of vodka?
spirit drink from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
- Potatoes and/or cereal
- Other ag raw materials
- Distilled or rectified
- Methonol <10g / 100% ABVL
- ABV> 37.5%
- Natural flavoring must be distilled
- Must indicate what raw materials
US Definition of Vodka
- Neutral spirit
- Any material distilled above 95%
- Bottled >40% ABV
- Can be treated with charcoal, without character, aroma, taste or color
Difference between US and EU Vodka
EU only potatoes and cereals as raw material
US more open
What is most vodka made from?
Wheat, maize, potatoes
Some molasses, grapes and fruits
What is base alcohol for vodka
Commercial NS
Where are vodkas redistilled?
Copper pots or continuous columns
Why redistill vodka after being a neutral spirit?
Softer and difference mouth feel
How is vodka filtered
with active charcoal
