WINE Topic 11: Re
vision
Sweet Wine & Fortified Wines… …
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H&C-3-528 Wine & Spirits Studies
Seminar 12
Spirits I
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Intended Learning Outcomes
To introduce various principle spirits To acquire knowledge on the spirits
distillation
Introduce the production and types of
sugar-based spirits Practice on spirits tasting technique
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What is Spirit?
A spirit is a liquid of high alcohol content obtained from the distillation of
fermented material.
Fermentation creates flavours and alcohol An essential process before distillation Without fermentation, no flavours and alcohol to be distilled and concentrated
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Fermentation
Material
Sugar-based: ready for fermentation Starch-based: need to convert the starch into sugar before fermentation can take place
It is vitally important in the creation of flavour
Nothing can be concentrated in distillation if flavours are not created at this stage
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Distillation
Wash is obtain from the process of fermentation WASH: an alcoholic liquid resulting from fermentation which is destined to be distilled
The principle of distillation is that ethyl alcohol (Ethanol) vaporizes at a lower temperature than water
Alcohol at 78 ºC Water at 100 ºC
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Distillation
“Still”
is a device / machine which carries out the distillation process (i.e. separation of water and alcohol) Two main types of still: Pot still Column still: Coffey still / Patent still /
Continuous still
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The Pot Still
Usually made with copper Two parts: Still and Condenser Discontinuous process (batch by batch)
Time consuming Induced higher costs
Collect spirit as around 23% abv (1st batch or the 1st pass) To collect spirit with higher alcohol content, it have to be double distilled or even triple distilled (70% to 90%)
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The Pot Still
Cumbersome batch process Relatively inefficient Distillate with more impurities Impurities = Flavours Produce highly...
