The history of distilling spirits directly originates from ancient alchemy. Do I have your attention? Great. Distilled spirits, also called liquor, are obtained through the distillation of wine, other fermented fruit, or starchy materials such as grains. The production of distilled spirits is based upon fermentation, the natural process of decomposing organic materials that contain carbohydrates. This is a naturally occurring process that occurs when carbohydrates and yeast are available together. Once the fermented juice reaches a percent of alcohol that yeast can no longer withstand, the real process of distillation takes place. Condensation and evaporation must be used to physically seperate boiling water from the alcohol.
Depending on what’s being distilled, there might be a factory of tall gleaming columns connected by a network of tubes, or massive pots that look like giant copper Hershey Kisses. These shiny machines make up the carefully controlled system behind producing your favorite spirits. The distiller’s work is kind of like a mixture of extreme precision, and no doubt, a little bit of old school intuition.