Process Followed By The Distillers To Produce Alcoholic Beverages

Distillers | Image Resource: prod.adage.com

Alcoholic beverages are produced through the process of distillation of fermented plant or fruit juice or grains. The process is based on the natural process of fermentation where the organic material containing carbohydrates is decomposed.

The distillation process is based on the principle of the different boiling points of alcohol and water. When a liquid containing ethyl alcohol is heated and the vapour coming out of it is condensed then the condensate will have a higher concentration of alcohol.

Some examples of distilled drinks are whisky, rum, brandy, vodka, beer and rum. A Distillers is a person or a company that makes alcoholic beverages by distilling.

Different types of processes
The different processes followed while producing alcoholic beverages are as follows:

Collecting the mash
The raw materials used are either those containing a high concentration of sugars or carbohydrates that can be easily converted to sugars by using enzymes. The main sugary material is grapes, sugarcane and sugar beets. Grains are used as starchy materials and the main grains used are corn, rice, rye grain and barley.

Mashing
In this process, the raw material is made available to the enzymes. Crushing and pressing are used for grapes and milling is used for grains. The purpose of this process is to mix the grains, make the starch available to the enzymes and convert them to fermentable sugars.

Fermentation
The yeast used for the fermentation process belongs to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae type. In the fermentation process, the sugars are converted to ethyl alcohol by using enzymes. Yeast shows good results in an acidic medium therefore the mixture is checked for adequate acidity.

Distillation
As the alcohol and the water have different boiling points the distillation process is used to separate the liquids. The distillation process consists of a still which is used to heat the liquid, a condenser for cooling the vapours and a receiver for collecting the distillate.

Aging
Distilled beverages can be classified as aged or unaged. The term ‘Age’ refers to the duration of storage. The liquid is stored in white oak wood barrels and as the liquid moves inside the barrel, the resulting liquid is lower in the extracted flavour.

Maturity is the level to which chemical changes occur during storage. Maturation results from the oxygen in the outside air and the ingredients in the liquid.

Blending
This process is used to get a balanced product with the right flavouring. Usually, a flavouring material and a colour adjustment material are used to get the perfect product.

Packaging
Distilled beverages can react with many substances and therefore glass is used as a universal container for packaging alcoholic beverages. The alcoholic beverages are packed in containers of standard sizes and shapes.