Unit 6 Flashcards

1
Q

6 factors making whisk(e)y blending processes complicated

A
  • range and variation of NMS quality.
  • oak cask maturation.
  • range and variability of maturation capability within casks.
  • age profiles of maturing stock.
  • legislation.
  • type and flavour of final product.
  • desire for new product pipeline.
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2
Q

Single malt Scotch definition

A

Scotch produced only from water, yeast, and malted barley at a single distillery by batch distillation in pot stills.

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3
Q

5 goals of blending

A
  • comply with legislation
  • meet product specification.
  • consistent quality of product.
  • deliver volume and meet bottling/production demands.
  • ensure product integrity (no contamination)
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4
Q

Factors which might affect the quality of NMS prior to maturation.

A

Different raw ingredients (inc yeast)
Production equipment - still type, shape, material, etc. Condenser type.
Cuts
Cask type/reactivity
Casking ABV
Fermentation factors.

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5
Q

Key responsibilities of a blender

A
  • legislation knowledge
  • sensory authority (whisky, established & NPD)
  • NMS character + flavour impactors (corrective action)
  • Work with production demands.
  • wood knowledge and input.
  • knowledge of inventory + potential subs, including type of spirit/wood, and age profiles/finishing.
  • Management of OOS inventory.
  • Brand support & training.
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6
Q

Simple inventory/production planning process (supply)

A

Future sales demand ➡ Existing maturing inventory ➡ Production/procurement plans ➡ NM scotch/grain whisky ➡ Cask wood supply ➡ Future maturing inventory.

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7
Q

A demand planning cycle

A

Current sales demand ➡ blend selection process ➡ current maturing inventory ➡ individual cask selection ➡ casks consolidated by blend/part blend ➡ disgorge ➡ direct to BV or split into part blends.

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8
Q

Practical blend fulfilment process

A

Demand ➡ blend type & volume ➡ cask selection, sampling/transportation ➡ nosed/disgorged into blends/part blends ➡ (OOS casks removed) ➡ filtration ➡ QC/Sensory ➡ colouring/reduction ➡ accounts updated.

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9
Q

Processes to reduce contamination risk assembling blends

A
  • Assess each cask
  • All casks from blend selection process.
  • pipework/vessel inspections.
  • no light flavour after heavy flavour.
  • rules for sequence to avoid contamination.
  • regular water quality checks
  • regular filtration cleaning/checks
  • collect remnants.
  • any quality issues refer to blender for corrective actions.
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10
Q

4 main differentiations in wood matured spirits

A

age
product type
single product
blended product

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11
Q

Risks of products with other ingredients

A

Ingredient storage (temp)
stock holding and rotation.
shelf life
compatibility of ingredients

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12
Q

3 definitions of blending

A

1 - combine or mix different substances so the parts are indistinguishable (Blended whisk(e)y)
2 - Combine various grades of the same substance to achieve a specific grade/character. (Blended malt or blended grain whisk(e)y)
3 - Combine different elements into a single product (flavoured gin or liqueur)

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13
Q

Definition of filtration

A

Separation of liquid or solid from a fluid mixture (filtrate) using a filter medium (septum)

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14
Q

What components are filtered out?

A

Wood - charcoal, lipids, ethanol lignins.
Plant debris
Metal ions - water.P
Congeners - esters such as ethyl acetate

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15
Q

Faults prevented by filtration

A

Haze/floccing/turbidity.
Flavour taint

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16
Q

Reversible haze - created by, under what conditions?

A

Lipids (from fermentation), at low temps or low (>46%) ABVs.
Micelles form ➡ cloudy appearance

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17
Q

How is reversible haze reversed?

A

Increase the temperature.

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18
Q

3 main fatty esters?

A

Ethyl laurate (50ppm)
Ethyl palmitate (2ppm)
Ethyl palmitoleate (3ppm)

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19
Q

What are flocs made of?

A

Calcium ions + oxalic acid = calcium oxalate crystals (aka oxalates)

20
Q

Where do the components of flocs come from?

A

Calcium ions - reduction water
Oxalic acid - raw materials, or wood/cask’s previous contents.

21
Q

4 factors in flavour compound filtration

A

Solubility
Molecule size/weight
Molecular weight
Functional groups (polarity)

22
Q

Musty smelling contaminants

A

Geosmin
TCA

23
Q

Darcy’s Law

A

Where Q = Filtrate (spirit) flow rate

K = permeability of the filter bed

∆P = Differential pressure across the porous bed (key factor)

A = Filter area

µ = Liquid viscosity

L = Depth of filter bed

Q = (K x ∆P x A)/(µ x L)

24
Q

Filter properties to consider.

A
  • Filtration rating (in µm)
  • Minimum particle size to be retained.
  • Filter area
  • Optimum flow rate.
  • Optimum operation pressure.
  • Optimum temperature range.
25
Q

3 mechanisms of filtration

A

-Adsorption
- Surface filtration.
- Depth filtration.

26
Q

Most common method of filtration in spirits industry?

A

Depth filtration.

27
Q

Adsorption - definition, example

A

Molecules adhere to liquid/solid surface, can be chemical or physical.
Activated charcoal filtration.

28
Q

Surface filtration - definition.

A

solids will not pass through a small filter (can failed under pressure increase from blocking)

29
Q

Depth filtration - definition

A

Uses adsorption, surface filtration, and physical retention to retain solids in a deep layer of filter septum.

Used for yeast and proteins, but not spirit (non-inert)

30
Q

Which products are most susceptible to haze?

A

Older
Heavy bodied
Matured at high strength

31
Q

Briefly descibe chill filtration

A

Product is diluted to bottling strength and left to rest for 3-24 hours, then chilled to 0-10 degrees. It is then filtered and returned to 20 degrees for bottling.

Produces a stable product, with minimal flavour loss, though some haze could still occur.

32
Q

Types of chemical filtration

A

Activated charcoal
Silver-supported zeolite filtration.

33
Q

Use for silver supported zeolite filtration?

A

Remove sulphur compounds (DMDS) without removing esters and fusel oils.

Spirit pumped across zeolite and sulphur is adsorbed.

34
Q

3 pore sizes in activated charcoal filtration

A

Macropores >50nm
Mesopores 2-50nm
Micropores <2nm

35
Q

Adsorption vs absorbtion

A

Adsorption - molecules bind to surface of medium
Absorbtion - molecules absorbed into the medium.

36
Q

Activated charcoal filtration

A

Universal term for method of adsorbing substances, also removes important flavour compounds.
Largest pores = colour (dark)
Smallest = Aroma

37
Q

Brown spirit filtration

A

Barrel char removal
Particle removal
Chill haze removal
Guard filtration

38
Q

White spirit filtration

A

Activated charcoal
Guard filtration
Chill haze removal

39
Q

Most common filter media in spirit filtration

A

Polypropylene
Polyester
Glass fibres
Steel fibres
Cellulose

(NOT powdered media)

40
Q

3 types of filter technology

A

Cartridge filters
Module filter systems
Sheet filters

41
Q

What is cartridge filtration most commonly used for?

A

barrel char (1st step)

42
Q

Pros of cartridge filters

A

Large surface area = high flow rate + retention.
Housing prevents losses or oxygen pick up.
Support cages.
Used in series to coarse, then fine filter.

43
Q

What is a modular filter system used for?

A

Particle removal
Chill filtration (Fatty acids)
Guard filtration

44
Q

Pros of modular filtration system

A

Customisable
Enclosed (High capacity, No leaks)
Drainable - minimal losses.
Designed for constant operation.

45
Q

What is a sheet filter used for?

A

Chill haze removal (after dilution and colouring)

46
Q

Capacity of filter sheets depends on (3)

A

particle type and volume
type and performance of pre-filtration
cleaning materials and regime.

47
Q

Describe a full filtration system for matured spirit

A

Removing various particles at different stages.
1 - cartridge filtration - removes barrel charr
2 - modular filtration system - particle removal and chill filtration of fatty acids. Guard prior to bottling.
3 - once diluted plate and frame filtration at 0-10 degrees for depth filtration to remove chill haze.