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WSET Level 2: Spirits (Complete
Guide)
distillation โ a process that increases the alcohol content of a liquid pot still โ batch process that produces characterful spirits of relatively low strength oldest, simplest kind of still; relatively inefficient = multiple distillations needed continuous still โ continuous process that can produce very high-strength, neutral spirit, or lower strength spirits more efficient than pot still _____ strength spirits generally have more character from the base material, but have harsher alcohol โ lower strength _____ strength spirits are lighter in character & smoother โ higher strength direct from the still, all spirits are ______ & ______ โ water- white & bone-dry most spirits are _____ to around __% abv before bottling โ reduced (diluted with water) 40% abv _____ are extremely important in most spirits categories โ Brands ethanol boils at a _____ temperature than water โ lower heads โ aka foreshots the most volatile components, which boil off first in a still contain undesirable components including methanol not used in the final spirit, returned to pot to be redistilled
hearts โ aka spirit follows the heads contains the highest proportion of ethanol & lowest proportion of undesirable impurities tails โ aka feints least volatile components that boil off last & not used in the final spirit, returned to the pot to be redistilled most stills are made of ____ โ copper when tasting spirits, more emphasis is placed on ____ โ the aromas & flavors- especially in the finish when tasting spirits, pour __mL of the spirt to assess ____ & then add ___mL of ___ to assess the ____ & _____ โ -25mL spirits to assess appearance -25mL water to assess the nose & palate _____ in spirits is usually a sign of a fault โ haziness adding water to spirits helps to _____ โ release the aromas (do not swirl) aroma groups for spirits are very ____ from those for wine โ different Brandy โ wine that is distilled & usually aged Cognac โ oak aged grape brandy from Cognac region (north of Bordeaux) made with copper pot still amber color, fruity, floral & elegant, dry Armagnac โ oak aged grape brandy from Armagnac region (south of Bordeaux) made with continuous or pot still amber color, robust, with dried fruit aromas, dry
Irish whiskey โ distilled and aged in Ireland generally smooth, unpeated & dry Bourbon โ American Whiskey mainly maize, aged in charred new American oak barrels Amber color; cereal, vanilla & oak aromas; robust & some sweetness (from the oak) Tennessee Whiskey โ similar to Bourbon, but charcoal- filtered, which adds smoky aromas Canadian Whiskey โ generally large volume continuous-still spirit Rum โ Sugar cane juice OR watered-down molasses > fermented > distilled> (sometimes aged) > Rum White Rum โ generally water-white with vodka-like neutral character, and dry Golden Rum โ gold color; often with fruit & oak aromas; dry or off-dry Dark Rum โ amber or brown color; often with dried fruit, spice & oak aromas; generally full-bodied and medium or sweet. Color often comes from added caramel, rather than oak Tequila โ Blue agave > starch converted by cooking, agave crushed and juice fermented > distillation and ageing (rarely) > Tequila Silver/Plata Tequila โ unaged and water white, intense vegetable, spice aromas Golden Tequila โ unaged and colored Reposado Tequila โ short aged, some oak character and pale color
Aรฑejo Tequila โ a long period in oak, deepened color and oak flavors softened palate with often muted agave character Vodka โ ANY fermentable base material. (cereal grains are most common, but potatoes & grapes are also used) Base material > (starch converted into sugar, if necessary) > fermented, distilled > Vodka only use column still; many use charcoal filtering; do not need aging Neutral Style Vodka โ continuous still very little character from the base material remains. water white, neutral nose, neutral palate, dry. 'Characterful' style vodka โ continuous still still almost neutral, but many Polish and Russian, and some other premium Vodkas show delicate characteristics from the base material (rye, wheat, potato, grapes) Gin โ Neutral base spirit > added botanical flavorings > (redistilled for the best gins) > Gin water white; intense aromas of juniper and other botanicals; dry Continuous still for base spirit, pot still for addition of botanicals Gin Botanicals โ juniper, coriander, citrus peel + others London Dry Gin โ the neutral spirit is redistilled with the botanicals to fix the aromas in the spirit. Once redistilled no other botanicals are permitted to be added Cold Compounded Gin โ the very cheapest gins simply add flavor essences to the neutral spirit Pastis โ -a spirit that is flavored with a combination of herbs & spices, with anise dominating -related to absinthe & ouzo
