Vodka Flashcards
Understanding distilling to purity.
What makes a spirit a vodka?
The distillation strength achieved
What raw material can vodka made from?
Any raw material
Vodka is commonly made from grains (barley, wheat, and rye) and potatoes
What strength or abv must vodka be distilled to?
95% or 96% depending on the law in the country where it is being made
What type of still is used to produce the required abv?
Only a column still can produce this strength abv
Pot stills are not efficient enough to achieve this level of alcohol strength
What is the advantage of stacking distillations?
A spirit can be produced quickly
Why are spirits stored in stainless steel tanks after distillation?
To keep them colorless and preserve neutral flavor
What is the last thing done prior to bottling?
Dilution
Spirits are typically reduced to a bottling strength of 40% abv using water
What is the purpose of dilution?
To make the spirits drinkable
Very high abv’s numb the palate, making it hard to taste a spirit
Why are most vodkas made to be as neutral as possible?
Ease of using in mixed drinks and cocktails
What are the advantages of column stills versus pot stills?
- With column stills, multiple distillations happen at the same time
- High abv neutral spirits cannot be made with pot stills
- Column stills can be run continuously
Where can vodka be legally made?
Anywhere in the world
Once fully distilled, what are the characteristics of a 96% abv spirit?
Virtually no flavor and correctly described as neutral
True or False:
True or false: Some column stills can be used to produce lower strength, intensely-flavored spirits.
True
