Wine and Spirits

Spirits and Its Two Main Groups, How They Differ

Spirits are composed of two main categories, namely, clear and dark sprits. The ones which you can see through are clear. Dark spirits have various colors which can range from amber to deep brown. It is the distillation process, which determines the appearance, taste, and smell of the product that makes both groups have different physical appearance.

What are some things which we can see unique on each category?

Discovering The Clear Spirits

There may be different flavors of clear spirits which solely depend on the food from which they were distilled.

* Gin is actually found to have two basic styles. The original Dutch jenevre (or genievre) is the distillate of malt spirits that include juniper berries. So, whenever the spirit is redistilled with juniper berries and with other flavors that come with aromatic botanicals, you can get the London dry gin.

* Distillation of molasses or sugar cane is where rum comes from. Originally, rum is clear spirits which become rum golden, amber or very dark eventually since they are being aged inside barrels.

* When rice wine is being distilled it can create sake.

* The distillation of the fruit of the blue agave plant will create tequila. Like the rum, it can start out as being clear spirits however turns into golden or amber with aging.

* Vodka is known to be a neutral spirit since it has no flavor or aroma being mixed into it and it is totally clear. Today, you would notice that the producers put flavor in their vodkas and some even change the color in order to match the color of the fruit juice.

About the dark spirits

Most dark spirit beverages are distilled from grains although not all since brandy is distilled from wine. These dark spirits actually start out clear too, however, when they aged in barrels there are coloring agents which turn them into golden amber, mostly.

* Distilled from wine or a mash of any fruit is brandy. However, grapes are the most common ones which can be the origin of brandy.

* The distillation of grain, like the barley, rye, wheat, or corn, is where whiskey comes from. You can see two types of whiskey. First is the blended whiskey that contains several straight whiskeys and added neutral spirits. The second type is the straight one made from the distillate produced by one operation of a still and added neutral spirits.

* Distilled spirits made of 51% corn (only made in the USA) are the Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey.

* Those usually made from a mix of grains, mainly corn and rye, wheat and barley is the Canadian Whiskey.

* Another type which also comes from a mix of grains, but only dominated by barley, is the Irish whiskey.

* The type made from a mix of grains, primarily barley, and other rains used in limited accounts is the Scotch whiskey. Generally, these grains include oats.