Distillation is the second key step in spirits production, used to remove non-alcoholic components such as water, proteins and carbohydrates as well as lesser volatile alcohols like esters and aldehydes from fermented liquids like wine or beer, such as congeners which contribute flavor profiles.
This process relies on basic science. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, making its vapor more easily evaporate into the atmosphere. As this vapor rises it passes over several cooled plates where heavier molecules condense onto them before falling back down through another series of cooling plates and condensing into an alcoholic beverage – known as the heart of distillation.
At the conclusion of a still run, any leftover water and proteins are collected as byproducts called the “heads” or ‘faints”, with very unpleasant odours and potential health risks for humans. Any residual ethanol is called “tails”, which can either be recycled in future still runs or used to make paint or fertiliser products.
An initial base product for spirits production depends on the style of spirit being created; this could include wine, beer or any fermented fruit/grain drink. A distiller then uses appropriate tools such as pot or column stills with distillation methods such as continuous flow to craft their desired spirit.
