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Distillation

distillation (GB)
distillation (F)
distillazione (I)
destillatie (N)
destilação (PO)
destilación (ES)

However, Aristotle (384-322 BC) was already unsuccessfully endeavouring to "free the spirit of wine from the wine". It is not certain when this was first achieved, but there are descriptions from the 2nd century B.C. The Roman author Pliny the Elder (23-79) surmised that there must be something combustible in the wine. The Aztecs in ancient Mexico mastered this art and produced intoxicating drinks from agave (see under pulque). Tartars in the Gobi desert produced the alcoholic drink "Kumyss" from mare's milk and distilled it into "Karakumyss" (milk brandy). When the Moors (Arabs) conquered Spain in the 8th century, they brought the art of distillation with them. This was mainly used in pharmacy and for the production of scented waters. Vessels made from various materials such as glass or ceramics, known as alambics, were used for this purpose.

Aqua vitae

A document from 1150 describes the art of making "aqua ardens" (burning water) from wine. Around this time, the name "aqua vitae" (water of life) was in common use. At the beginning of the 13th century, repeated distillation (ten times or more) had already made it possible to produce up to 90% alcohol. The scholar Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) further developed the distillation apparatus. The Spanish doctor and scholar Arnaldus de Villanova (1240-1311) used his experience to invent the wine now known as vin doux naturel. From the beginning of the 14th century, the term "spiritus vini" (spirit of wine), first used by the naturalist and physician Theophrastus Bombastus Paracelsus (1493-1541), became established for distillates and was later equated with the term alcohol. The term spirits for the end products made from a wide variety of raw materials is also derived from this.

Distillation process

Distillation is the physical process of heating, evaporation and subsequent condensation (from the Latin destillare = to drip) of a liquid in order to separate liquids with different boiling points (water and alcohol). The starting products must not contain any sulphur, as distillation would result in a viscous, unpleasant-smelling substance. Therefore, desulphurisation must be carried out if necessary. Due to the high temperatures and the high alcohol content in the end product, there is no need for sulphur in terms of oxidation protection compared to wine production. The alcohol type ethanol (potable alcohol) has a boiling point of 78 °C. This significantly lower value compared to water and other types of alcohol is what makes distillation possible in the first place.

Destillationsapparat

At the beginning of the distillation process, large quantities of methanol, an alcohol type that is toxic above a certain limit, can also be produced, which is why this part is separated off. This is relatively easy because at 65 °Celsius it has an even lower boiling point than ethanol. Care must be taken to ensure that the highly toxic ethyl carbamate is not formed, which can be caused by the influence of light on the distillate or by reactive processes during storage. In the classic process, wine for distilling or mash from different fruits is used for the first distillation and, depending on the product, distilled two or more times. Depending on the product, there is a distillation limit, a maximum permissible alcohol content.

Periodic (fractional) distillation

Over the course of time, various distilling process have been developed. In traditional periodic (fractional) distillation, two or more independent distillation processes take place, in each of which the distillate is collected in a container. The first distillation produces the raw spirit with an alcohol content of around 30 to 40% by volume. If this is subjected to a further distillation (pot still), the fine spirit is produced with an alcohol content of around 70% vol. In the pot still process, only the "centrepiece" (French coeur = heart) from the middle run is used for further processing into brandy. The first run and second run are inferior distillates; they are separated and treated separately. If necessary, a third distillation is also carried out. This is the case with the French brandies Calvados (apple) and Cognac (wine).

Continuous distillation

The second process is continuous distillation (patent still distilling, continuous distilling, column still distilling or Coffey still distilling). The distillation plant consists of two connected columns. The distillate is not collected in between, but is produced in a single operation. The cold mash is let in through pipes, heated in the second column and transported to the first column, where the mash is heated with steam. This is common practice in French Armagnac, for example, or in the production of distilled water. With this process, a maximum alcohol content of 97.2% vol. can be achieved.

Products

The end products are usually matured in oak barrels for up to five years or longer - special bottlings of Armagnac and Cognac for 20 years or more. They are then reduced to a drinking strength of at least 38% alcohol by volume using distilled water. Depending on the base product and production process, the designation is regulated by the EU Spirits Regulation. There are countless products and brands such as Armagnac, Cognac, Gin, Grappa, Lourinhã, Metaxa, Orujo, Ouzo, Rum, Tequila, Whisky and Vodka. See a complete list under spirits.

Spirituosen - 7 Marken

Tax duties

In the case of commercial distillation, the quantities must be collected for tax purposes. In distillation law, a distinction is made in this respect between a settlement distillery and a sealed distillery.

Further information

For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), Distillation (distillates), Speciality wines, Spirits (types), Winemaking (wines and wine types) and Wine law (wine law issues).

Graphic: from OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay
Spirits trade marks: from PNGWING

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