Fermentation produces 75% water and alcohol by weight – both without flavor. The remaining 25% consists of various chemical compounds like acids, aldehydes and esters (collectively known as congeners) that give alcoholic beverages their unique flavors both good and bad. Distillers use stills to separate congeners from ethanol by heating alcohol-containing liquid until it vaporizes, […]

Distillation is one of the oldest scientific processes known to humankind. Distillation dates back as far as 200 CE when alcohol distillation was first documented by Alexander of Aphrodisias; later work by medieval chemists such as Zosimus of Panopolis and Abu Bakr al-Razi demonstrated further progress. Distillation separates an alcoholic liquid from water through evaporation […]

Alcohol distillation has long been used for medicinal, spiritual and cosmetic uses. The practice may have first emerged around 2000 BC in China, Egypt or Mesopotamia before spreading throughout medieval Europe with herb infused wines used as herbal medicine – which distillation advanced to new heights of potency. Distillation resembles heating up a soup: as […]

Liquor producers have found innovative ways to use what would otherwise end up as waste from distillation processes – whether through carbon dioxide recycling or using waste ethanol produced during distillation processes as fuel for their distillery businesses. Furthermore, with demand increasing exponentially for liquor products like beer and spirits distillerie owners see an opportunity […]

Alcohol distillation is the process by which fermented products, like beer, are transformed into higher proof spirits like whiskey, gin, or vodka. The initial materials required can vary depending on what kind of spirit is desired–whiskey typically uses beer as its base while grain or fruit-based alcohols may also be used as source materials for […]