Cognac is an alcoholic drink with a characteristic bouquet and taste, made from cognac spirit obtained by distillation of wine materials and aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels or enameled tanks with oak wood placed in them.
Rum is a strong alcoholic drink obtained by fermenting cane-sugar raw materials, subsequent processing of the brew, diluting the resulting alcohol to 50% and keeping it in new oak barrels for aging. According to the total content of acids, esters, aldehydes and higher alcohols, all varieties of rum are divided into three types: lower, medium and higher (high ester). The highest grades of rum retain their characteristic aroma even when diluted 1: 100 000, for lower grades this figure is 10 times less. On the Russian market, the best known brands are Cuban and Jamaican rum.
Whiskey is an alcoholic drink with a strength of 45%, produced by distillation of fermented rye, corn or barley wort, long-term exposure of the resulting raw alcohol in oak barrels charred from the inside and subsequent blending with water and sugar syrup. Features of whiskey production technology are due to the desire to preserve the aroma of grain in the wort and raw alcohol. Whiskey is the national drink of the Anglo-Saxon population. A large number of it is produced in the UK and the USA. Usually, the name of the manufacturer is also indicated in the name of the drink on the label.
Vodka is a mixture of ethyl alcohol and softened water, passed through activated carbon filters.
Classification and range. Cognacs, depending on the duration and methods of aging cognac spirits, are divided into: ordinary, vintage and collection.
Ordinary cognacs are made from spirits aged
- 5 years. In accordance with the excerpt, they are given names: "3 stars" - cognac with an exposure of 3 years, "4 stars" - an exposure of 4 years, "5 stars" - an exposure of 5 years.
Collectibles include vintage cognacs, additionally aged in oak barrels or bottles for at least 3 years.
Vodka, depending on the production technology and composition, is divided into the following types: o simple - produced from a water-alcohol mixture, which, after mixing, is filtered through quartz sand and activated carbon twice, brought to a standard strength and served for bottling; o special - prepared from "extra" alcohol of the highest quality and purity;
o fortified with vitamins C, B, B2, A based on the daily requirement of the body for these components and formulation features.
The largest distilleries in Russia are: the Moscow plant "Kristall", the Samara plant "Rodnik", Irkutsk "Kedr", Yekaterinburg, Barnaul, Mariinsky distilleries.
The following vodkas are most common in Russia: "Golden Ring" - on "luxury" alcohol; "Siberian" - obtained by mixing alcohol "extra" and softened water; "Starorusskaya" - the composition of the blend includes alcohol of the highest purity, corrected water, sodium bicarbonate (water); "New" - from the highest purity alcohol and corrected water with the addition of aromatic alcohol, cumin and sugar; "Moskovskaya" - from "extra" alcohol with the addition of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid; "Posolskaya" - from "extra" alcohol and water, treated with dry skimmed milk, which, after coagulation and settling, is separated on a filter press; "Anise special" - from "extra" spirit using aromatic spirits of anise, lemon and coriander; "Victoria" - from alcohol "extra" with the addition of pantocrine; "Sovereign" - from "extra" alcohol with the addition of fructose, hydrochloric acid; "Star of Russia" - from alcohol "extra" with the introduction of sugar and potassium iodide; "Prince Silver" - from "extra" alcohol with the addition of infusion of galangal root; "Molodetskaya" - from "extra" alcohol with the addition of sugar and apple cider vinegar; "Orlovskaya Tsarskaya" - from "extra" spirit with the addition of aromatic spirits of anise, linden flowers and honey; "Parliament" - from alcohol "Lux" with specially purified water; "Gzhelka" - from alcohol "lux" and purified water; "Wheat" - from "extra" alcohol and softened water that has undergone additional treatment with activated carbon; "Ukrainian Gorilka" - from the highest purity alcohol with the addition of honey; "Stolichnaya" - from "extra" alcohol, softened water with the addition of sugar; "Extra" - from alcohol of the highest purification, corrected water with the addition of sugar and potassium permanganate; "Crystal" - from alcohol of the highest purity with the addition of caraway and bitter almond oils, glycerin, sugar.
The range of vodkas is now so wide that it is impossible to list all the names. Differences in their quality are achieved by adding ingredients such as infusions of aromatic and non-aromatic medicinal raw materials, honey, mineral salts. To improve the quality, reduce the concentration of impurities in vodkas, alcohol of a higher quality than “lux” is used - the so-called “alpha”, “super”, etc., which are produced in small batches at distilleries using special technological modes. In the process of processing, sorting, additional technological methods are also used.
Factors that form quality. The quality of cognacs depends on the initial quality of raw materials. For the production of cognacs, grape varieties are used that give a wine of high acidity with a low alcohol content, floral or neutral aroma. Muscat grape varieties are completely unsuitable, transferring their aroma to cognac alcohol.
Wine materials for cognac spirit should contain 8-12% vol. alcohol, not less than 4.5 g/dm3 of titratable acids, not more than 1.5 g/dm3 of volatile acids and up to 0.2% sugar. They are obtained by the method of producing white natural wines. The color of wine materials should be from light straw to light pink, the taste should be harmonious.
The production of cognac from cognac wine materials consists of the following processes: obtaining cognac spirit, aging it in oak barrels or in enameled tanks immersed in oak stave alcohol, cognac blending, its processing and bottling.
To obtain cognac spirit, distillation stills of various designs, continuous action and vacuum distillation devices are used. The distillation of wine materials is carried out with fractionation of the distillate into three lengths - head, middle and tail. As cognac alcohol, an average shoulder strap is used - a “heart”, containing a minimum amount of impurities.
The fundamental difference between the production of cognac spirit and ordinary spirit is not only in the use of a different type of initial alcohol-containing material for distillation (dry wine materials instead of mature mash), but also in the distillation stages, respectively, in a higher residual content of impurities that are precursors of the bouquet components of aged cognac spirit.
Freshly distilled cognac spirits are colorless, slightly aromatic, have an inharmonious sharp taste with mild soapy tones. The strength of cognac alcohol is 62-70% vol., the content of impurities (mg per 100 cm3): volatile acids - up to 80, aldehydes - up to 50, esters - up to 250, higher alcohols 180-600; methyl alcohol - 0.15% vol. In order to obtain homogeneous batches of standard quality, freshly distilled cognac spirits are transferred to the aging workshop.
Cognac spirits acquire their characteristic taste and aroma characteristic of cognac during many years of aging in oak barrels at a temperature of 15-25 ° C and a relative humidity of 75-85%.
Cognac production uses old or specially processed new barrels of various capacities made of high-quality oak wood. In recent years, in order to reduce losses in products and reduce their cost, cognac spirits are aged in enameled or reinforced concrete tanks with oak staves immersed in alcohol. During aging, alcohol is saturated with oxygen several times a year.
The processes of maturation and aging of cognac spirits occur in three stages.
The first stage, lasting up to 5 years, is characterized by the most active release of tannins from oak staves into alcohol and their intense oxidation. Thanks to the extraction of tannins and acids from the riveting, the acidity of cognac spirits increases. Substances extracted from oak staves decompose with the formation of aromatic aldehydes, and the amount of non-volatile esters increases. The proportion of non-volatile acids gradually increases and the pH of the alcohol decreases. Alcohol acquires a light yellow color and an underdeveloped cognac aroma with fusel tones, while retaining a rough taste.
At the second stage, covering the next 5 years of aging, the extraction of tannins slows down due to a decrease in the concentration of substances in the riveting and alcohol. Further oxidation of tannins helps to soften the taste of cognac spirit. The processes of extraction from wood and the decomposition of substances with the formation of aromatic aldehydes are activated. Under the action of peroxides dissolved in alcohol, the components of aromatic aldehydes are oxidized, which leads to the formation and accumulation of the product of this reaction, vanillin, in alcohol. fructose appears. Cognac alcohol acquires an intense yellow color, mild taste and pleasant aroma with vanilla-floral tones.
The third stage of transformations in cognac spirit can be observed only when it has been aged for more than 10 years. At the same time, the organoleptic indicators of the quality of cognac spirits are noticeably improved: their color becomes intense yellow, the taste becomes soft, and clearly expressed pleasant tones of old cognac appear in the aroma. The bouquet of old cognac is associated with the presence of vanillin in it - an aldehyde of vanillic acid. In old cognacs, it is 10-15 times more than in young ones.
When compiling a blend, ready-made cognac spirits are brought to the standard, striving to smooth out individual shortcomings of some spirits and emphasize the merits of others by the right selection of components. In addition to the main raw material (cognac spirits), when compiling a cognac blend, auxiliary materials are used - softened or distilled water, fortified waters (a mixture of cognac spirit with distilled or softened water), sugar syrup. Cognac alcohol, alcoholized water and sugar syrup are poured into large-capacity oak vats in the calculated ratios, mixed, the alcohol and sugar content is determined in the average sample, corrected in case of substandardness and mixed again.
Ready cognac for assimilation of alcohol and other components is aged in bottles or enameled tanks from 3 months (ordinary cognacs) to 6 months (vintage cognacs). During these periods, cognacs are pasted over and filtered. Before bottling, cognac is kept at a temperature of 6 °C for 5-10 days and at a temperature of -15 °C for 37 days in order to stabilize its properties. For sale, cognac is bottled.
The quality of vodka, rum and whiskey is determined by the quality of the raw materials from which these flavor products are made - ethyl alcohol.
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is a product of the distillation of fermented carbohydrate-containing products, followed by concentration and processing. Ethanol is a colorless, highly mobile flammable liquid with a boiling point of 78.3 °C; it is miscible with water in any ratio, and is poisonous in large doses.
Depending on the feedstock, alcohol is divided into food and technical. Depending on the degree of purification, alcohol is divided into "luxury", "extra", the highest purification, the first grade.
Ethyl alcohol is widely used in various sectors of the national economy. More than 150 industries use it as a raw material, solvent and fuel. The main consumers of edible ethyl alcohol are the alcoholic beverage and wine industries of the food industry. Edible alcohol is a highly concentrated mixture of almost pure ethyl alcohol with water. As a food product, drinking ethyl alcohol is sold only in the regions of the Far North and Siberia. It is mainly used as the main or auxiliary raw material in the manufacture of vodkas, liqueurs, liqueurs, bitter and sweet tinctures, grape and fruit wines.
Edible ethyl alcohol is obtained from vegetable raw materials rich in starch (potatoes, cereal grains), Jerusalem artichoke and
chicory roots or waste from sugar production, sugar beets, substandard raw sugar, sugar cane stalks, substandard fruits and berries, including grapes, as well as from winemaking waste. From cereal crops, corn, barley, oats, rye, wheat, and millet are mainly used to produce ethyl alcohol.
Technical ethyl alcohol is produced from vegetable raw materials with a high fiber content (sawdust, straw, peat, moss), from pulp and paper production waste.
Ethyl alcohol is obtained from food raw materials and wood according to the same principle - by fermenting sugars under the action of yeast enzymes. The difference lies in the methods of hydrolysis of polysaccharides: starch of food raw materials is hydrolyzed biochemically with the help of enzymes, and wood cellulose is chemically hydrolyzed, acting on it with mineral acids.
The production of ethyl alcohol from potato tubers and cereal grains is based on two biochemical processes - the hydrolysis (saccharification) of the starch contained in the raw material, and the fermentation of the resulting sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Starch saccharification is carried out with the help of enzymes accumulated in germinated grains (malt) or produced by fungi.
In the production of alcohol, "green malt" is used - moistened to a moisture content of 38-40% and germinated grain of barley, rye, wheat, oats, millet, corn. Typically, distilleries use a mixture of malts from two or three types of grain. When selecting mixtures, they strive to create the most complete complex of actively saccharifying enzymes.
The production of alcohol from starchy raw materials consists of the following main technological processes: preparation of raw materials - washing, cleaning from impurities;
o heat treatment (cooking) with water at a temperature of 120-150 ° C and osmotic pressure to destroy the cellular structure and dissolve starch; about cooling the boiled mass; o saccharification of starch under the action of enzymes;
o fermentation of saccharified starch products into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide under the action of yeast enzymes to obtain a mature mash containing 7-10% alcohol; o isolation from the mash by distillation with steam in special columns of raw alcohol containing 88% alcohol; about the repeated distillation of raw alcohol on a special apparatus of periodic or continuous action to obtain alcohol with a strength of 96%.
Purification of raw alcohol from impurities is a prerequisite for the subsequent use of alcohol for the preparation of vodkas and alcoholic beverages. Purification by distillation of raw alcohol is based on different boiling points when heated ethyl alcohol and its contaminants. According to the degree of volatility, these impurities are divided into head ones, which boil at a temperature below the boiling point of ethyl alcohol (aldehydes, ethers, methyl alcohol); tail, which boil at a temperature above the boiling point of ethyl alcohol (mainly fusel oils); intermediate - the most difficult to separate group of compounds, which, depending on the distillation conditions, can be both head and tail.
According to the degree of purification, ethyl alcohol is of four grades: "lux" - 96.3% vol.; "extra" - 96.5% vol.; the highest purification - 96.2% vol.; first grade - 96% vol.
For the production of alcoholic beverages, "luxury", "extra" and higher purity alcohol is used. Alcohols "luxury" and "extra" are produced from various types of grain (except legumes) and a mixture of grain and potatoes. The amount of potato starch in the mixture should not exceed 35% for the production of "lux" alcohol and 60% for the production of "extra" alcohol. Since purified "extra" alcohol is produced from conditioned grain, the content of impurities in it should not exceed 0.07 g/dm3.
Alcohol of the highest purity, depending on the feedstock, is produced: from grain, potatoes or from grain and potatoes; mixtures of grain, potatoes, sugar beet, raw sugar and other sugar-containing and starch-containing food raw materials in various proportions. In alcohol of the highest purity and the first grade, the amount of impurities is allowed, respectively, up to 0.1 and 0.15 g/dm3.
Ethyl alcohol of all grades must be colorless, transparent, without foreign particles. Taste and smell should be characteristic of ethyl alcohol made from the appropriate raw material. Foreign tastes and odors are not allowed.
The shelf life of drinking alcohol is not limited.
Quality control. According to organoleptic indicators, cognacs must meet the following requirements - taste and bouquet - characteristic of this type of cognac, without foreign taste and smell; color - from light golden to light brown with a golden hue; transparency - transparent with gloss, without foreign inclusions. High-quality cognacs are characterized by a light amber color, darker for a long-aged drink, crystal transparency, a complex bouquet and aroma, a harmonious taste, and an oily texture.
Intense smells of vanillin, essence, fruit can be felt in fake cognacs.
When organoleptically evaluating cognac, in order to more fully reveal its characteristics, additional methods are sometimes used: a few drops of cognac are rubbed between the palms and then its aroma is determined; moisten the walls of the glass with a few drops of the drink, cover with a sheet of paper, after a while, opening the glass, sniff it. The following defects can be detected in cognacs: o fusel tone - occurs when cognac alcohol is used with insufficient purification; o cinder tones - appear if raw materials with a large amount of suspensions were used for distillation, as well as in case of untimely washing of the apparatus; o iron cassette - the formation of a bluish tone of cognac, turning into a dark blue color, this is facilitated by the content of iron in the drink more than 1.5 mg / dm3.
All these defects of cognac lead to the loss of the product. Depending on the causes of defects, various methods are used to eliminate them - demetallization, gluing, blending.
Substandard products are subjected to additional processing until they meet the requirements of the regulatory document. Then it can be used in blends of products of a lower quality category, transferred to industrial processing for the manufacture of other products. To reduce these losses, it is necessary to strictly observe the technology for the production of cognacs, as well as the conditions for their storage.
The temperature of cognac samples submitted for tasting should be 16-18 °C. First, ordinary, then vintage cognacs are evaluated.
Vodka according to organoleptic indicators is evaluated in the following order.
The drink is poured into a tasting glass by about 1/3 of the volume (40-50 cm3). The glass is lifted by the leg, tilted, and the transparency and color are visually assessed in transmitted diffused light. Deviations from color and transparency can be detected by comparing the analyzed vodka with distilled water, by placing them in identical test tubes of 10 cm3 Clarity and color can be assessed as a colorless, transparent liquid with a luster, without foreign inclusions and sediment, or a colorless, transparent, but without luster liquid, or cloudy or tinted liquid.
Then the smell and aroma are assessed by warming the lower part of the glass with the palms and rotating the glass in a horizontal plane, which contributes to a better evaporation of aromatic substances. The aroma is characteristic of this species, pronounced, without foreign aroma; or characteristic of the species, good.
After the aroma, the taste is determined. They take a small portion of the drink into the mouth and hold it in front, then, slightly tilting the head back, rinse the entire oral cavity, revealing deviations in taste. The taste and aroma should be harmonious, pleasant, without a burning taste and smell of alcohol, foreign taste and smell, such as the smell of rubber, kerosene, metallic taste from containers with damaged coatings, foreign taste and smell as a result of the production of vodka on poorly processed equipment. The taste is characteristic for this species, mild; uncharacteristic for this species, having an extraneous rough aroma; characteristic of this species, clean, soft, without foreign taste; characteristic of this species, but somewhat harsh; characteristic of this species, but sharp, burning. When technology changes or poor storage, the taste may be uncharacteristic for this species, have a rough foreign taste.
At the same time, it is allowed to taste no more than five samples of vodka, while samples of obviously better quality are analyzed first, a break is made between the evaluations of each sample.
Packaging and labeling, conditions and terms of storage and transportation. Packaging and labeling of cognacs are made in accordance with GOST 13741.
Cognacs are bottled in glass bottles of various types (according to capacity, color), as well as in figured and souvenir bottles made from materials approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Vintage cognac brand KS is bottled in bottles with a capacity of 100 ml, 50 ml, as well as figured and souvenir bottles and artistically designed vessels.
Bottling of cognacs into bottles is carried out, according to GOST, "by volume" of the bottle. GOST also indicates the maximum deviations for an individual bottle from the nominal capacity. Cognac bottles with a capacity of more than 100 ml are sealed with combined cork stoppers, polyethylene stoppers, aluminum caps with a tear-off ring (for example, “Priz”, “3 stars” cognacs, etc.). An aluminum or plastic cap is put on top of a cork, polyethylene or combined cork.
Bottles with a capacity of 50-100 ml are sealed with aluminum caps or aluminum caps with a perforated tear-off ring.
Bottles with cognac with a capacity of 250 ml or more are issued with a label and a collar (a kind of label, pasted on the neck of the bottle), and with a capacity of 50-100 cm3 - with a label or a combined label with a collar. The label indicates the name of the cognac and other mandatory information.
Vodka for the domestic market of Russia is bottled: into glass bottles of various capacities (0.25; 0.5; 0.75; 1.0 l, etc.), as well as glass, crystal, porcelain decanters according to special regulatory documentation. Bottle glass must be thermally and chemically resistant.
Bottling is carried out in accordance with GOST 13741. There are permissible deviations from the normal volume, depending on the capacity of the bottles and the type of bottling. The bottles are sealed with polyethylene caps and aluminum rings with screw threads, labels are attached, indicating the name of the product and manufacturer, grade, strength, sugar content, capacity, GOST or TU number, date of bottling.
Products are transported in boxes or container-equipment by all means of transport that ensure its integrity.
TEST QUESTIONS
- Name the types and range of tea.
- What is the difference between the taste of green tea and the taste of black tea?
- Why is it necessary to take into account the commodity neighborhood when storing tea?
- Why are premium teas packaged in foil and packaged in rigid packaging?
- What tea is considered the best in appearance?
- What group of food products do spices belong to?
- What spices are used in baking?
- What is special about storing spices?
- What are the distinctive features of natural grape wines?
- What is the difference between wines and champagnes?
- What drinks are called cognacs?
- What is the difference between cognac spirit and rectified spirit?
- How are mineral waters classified according to their chemical composition?
- In what mineral waters is sediment allowed and how to find out?
Have any of you thought how many different drinks there are on planet Earth? Probably not. Because it is almost impossible to make an accurate calculation. But on the other hand, statistics are known that 30% of the total are alcoholic beverages. They are distinguished by taste, alcohol content, as well as cooking technology. It is difficult to answer the question of which is better - rum or whiskey, vodka or brandy, because people have different tastes, and it all depends on the individual preferences of each.
What is alcohol made from?
Alcohol is made from various raw materials - corn, potatoes, barley, millet, rye, etc. and is used to make strong alcoholic drinks. The climatic conditions of a particular country affect the cultivation of various crops, and hence their processing. So, in Jamaica, sugar cane grows well, from which an excellent pirate drink rum is obtained, and Scotland is famous for its barley crops, from which, in turn, whiskey is made. What is the difference between whiskey and rum, and which drink should you prefer?
Whiskey or whiskey
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage with a strength of 40 to 70%, which is made from various types of cereals in the process of malting, distillation and infusion in oak barrels. They translate the word whiskey (English) as “living water”. The color of whiskey directly depends on the raw materials used for processing. It comes in all shades of brown - from light amber to dark rich.
Cooking technology
To answer the question of which is better - rum or whiskey, first you need to understand the technology of preparation and the features of each drink. So, the steps for making whiskey:
- Grain preparation. At the first stage, malt is prepared from barley. To do this, the grain must be sorted out, dried, then wetted and allowed to germinate. This takes up to 10 days. The germinated barley is dried again.
- Wort preparation. Dried grain (wort) is ground into flour (Grist) and diluted with hot water. The resulting mass is infused for 10-12 hours to form Wort - a sweet liquid mass.
- fermentation stage. Yeast is thrown into the chilled wort and left for two days to ferment. The temperature of the medium should not exceed 37 °C. The result is a low-alcohol drink of about 5% strength, reminiscent of beer.
- Race stage. The resulting liquid is distilled at least twice in distillation apparatus made of copper. After the first distillation, the so-called weak wine with a strength of up to 30% is born. And only after the second time they get an alcoholic drink up to 70% of the fortress.
- Excerpt. Semi-finished whiskey is poured into sherry casks. An additional sign of quality is bottling in sherry casks. Since there are not always enough of them, American bourbon barrels are also used. At this stage, whiskey acquires a characteristic color and flavor. Keep the drink for at least 3 years.
- The only thing left to do is to bottle it. Before this, the drink is filtered and diluted with purified water to bring the whiskey to the desired strength. Sometimes, after aging, the malt drink is mixed with grain, resulting in whiskeys with different flavor notes. This completes the whiskey production process. Drink this drink chilled. To do this, add special stones for whiskey or ice.
There are three main varieties of whiskey depending on the territory in which it was produced: Scottish, Irish and American.
Scottish scotch
Scotch whiskey, also called scotch, differs from all other types in the presence of a smoke flavor. This is due to the fact that the Scots use the so-called smoked grain - malt dried in the smoke from the combustion of peat, beech shavings and coal. The result is a unique shade and aroma.
Irish whiskey
Irish is characterized by a milder and lighter taste and less pronounced aroma. Thanks to the three-distillation law passed in Ireland (double distillation is allowed in Scotland), the whiskey is cleaner, but less intense in taste.
American bourbon
American whiskey - bourbon - is distinguished by the use of corn (at least 51%) and rye instead during distillation. The Americans greatly simplified the distillation process by removing the malting step. The lack of quality that Irish whiskey has, the Americans have replaced with a richness of flavors and color saturation. A new cooking technology was developed, which involved firing oak barrels from the inside. After aging whiskey in such barrels, the drink was enriched with a beautiful golden hue and a sweetish aftertaste.
How rum is made
Rum is a strong alcoholic beverage obtained from the fermentation and distillation of residues from the production of sugar from sugar cane. The strength of the drink is up to 60%. Translated from English, rum means "excitement, noise."
Let's start comparing rum and whiskey with the technology of making a now pirated drink. As mentioned above, rum is made from sugar cane. The stem of the plant contains a product from which sugar is produced. Molasses and other products formed during the processing of cane are used to prepare an alcoholic drink. Cooking steps:
For a long time, rum was considered a low quality drink, as it was consumed mainly by workers from cane plantations and poor people. But in the middle of the 19th century, the Royal Chamber of Spain announced a reward for the refinement of rum. Don Facundino Bacardi Masso stood out the most, who later founded the Bacardi trademark for the production of high-quality clarified rum.
Which is better - rum or whiskey?
As we can see, both alcoholic drinks have many similarities in preparation technology. If we talk about what is stronger, rum or whiskey, then one and the other drink have almost the same strength - from 40 to 80%, depending on the brand and method of aging. Drink them chilled. Use special glasses for rum and whiskey.
True, real gourmets prefer glasses with thin glass to warm the drink in their hands. Thus, they believe, you can better experience all the richness of taste.
Drinking rum or whiskey is a matter of taste for each individual gourmet or lover of elite drinks. The main thing in this matter is not to overdo it, but to stick to the golden mean. Moderation should be in everything.
They have an attractive price for such alcohol - usually from 300 to 450 rubles, but there are also expensive copies. Many buyers peck at the price. But if they even a little understand in such alcohol, they will be disappointed.
For example, there is a typical bottle of rum on a shelf in a store. On the label, directly and bluntly in Russian and English, it is written that this is “captain's rum”. There is a picture of the captain. But the composition plunges into a stupor: water, rectified ethyl alcohol “Lux”, infusions of oak bark, cinnamon, lemon balm, coffee, nutmeg, cloves, sugar dye E150a (caramel), food flavoring “Spicy”. Recipe
Of this entire list, real rum can contain only two components - water and a little bit of caramel (E150a). It will seem strange to many that this sweet additive with the letter “E” can be in strong alcohol, but it is really used almost always to give a darker color. Although almost everyone is sure that this color is given to strong drinks by aging in an oak barrel. In fact, the wood stains rum, whiskey, cognac, brandy, Calvados and other distillates very pale. And in order to give them a rich color that consumers like so much, they carry out the so-called chaptalization - they add a little caramel.
Falsifications in the law
But back to rum. This drink is a distillate (distillate) obtained from sugar cane processing products. And the addition of rectified alcohol to it is a classic falsification of the drink. But this “rum” from the shelf is not a fake, it is produced legally. Today it is allowed, only the packaging must indicate that it is "not quite real rum." And manufacturers skillfully use this: “full face”, on the main label - this is rum, and from the “back of the head”, on the back label - a bitter drink. That is, something like vodka, bison and some other tincture. And this is indicated discreetly, often such an inscription is difficult to distinguish without a magnifying glass.
Pseudo whiskey and pseudo brandy are made in the same way. Their basic recipe is simple: rectified alcohol, water, dyes, flavors. And not only caramel can give color. There are also “whiskey-flavored bitters” on store shelves, outwardly difficult to distinguish from real whiskey, the color of which was given by tartrazine. A very unhelpful dye, banned in many countries due to the fact that it causes a pseudo-allergic reaction. A “brandy strong alcoholic drink” is also on sale, the taste of which was created by a flavor identical to natural, “brandy ASG-632/2”. Behind this "cipher" is a real artificial flavor.
Tasting of the chatter
If you try such a counterfeit, then instead of the familiar aromas typical of whiskey, rum or grape brandy (the latter type of drink we usually call simply cognac), you will smell ethyl alcohol. He is so well known from vodka, and it will not be possible to disguise him with flavorings. It will definitely be present in aroma and taste, and you don't have to be a great taster not to notice it - it is indestructible.
Why do manufacturers not disdain reputation and make such "pseudo-alcohol"? And among them there are very solid companies! It's all about the economy. Rectified alcohol is much cheaper than distillate. And the production of legal fakes costs no more than ordinary vodka.
“This is misleading consumers,” explains Dmitry Yanin, chairman of the board of the International Confederation of Consumer Societies. - It seems that this is being encouraged by the regulators so that hard alcohol is more accessible, so that it is sold more. I think that in the legal field, involving judicial and administrative measures, this problem cannot be solved. It is necessary to make it unprofitable to use such alcohol, and for this it is necessary to raise excise taxes on alcohol. I don't see any other solution.
Understand "without half a liter"
Among these products there are also drinks with a certain amount of distillate. Fundamentally, they do not differ, they have all the same flavors, dyes, rectified ethyl alcohol, but there is also a distillate additive - from sugar cane, from barley or corn, depending on which drink the manufacturer imitates. And such strange drinks, fundamentally little different from fakes, are called differently in the official language. This is not just “bitters” or “strong alcoholic drinks”, it is “whiskey drink” or “rum drink”.
Distillate, rectified or fake?
Representatives of distillates:
Whiskey,
- rum,
- brandy (grape - cognac, armagnac, grappa, chacha, ouzo; apple and pear - calvados, williams, brandy; berry - slivovitz, schnapps, framboise, etc.).
Compound: alcohol-distillate, water and (optional) caramel color (available only in barrel-aged drinks).
Imitation drinks:
a. bitter drinks or just strong alcoholic drinks
Compound: rectified ethyl alcohol, water, flavors, dyes, may be extracts of spices, spices, berries, fruits.
b. whiskey and rum drinks
Compound: the same, but with the addition of distillate.
We are used to boasting to each other about the expensive and trendy drinks we have drunk, and this is due to the culture of drinking. Give a try to any of these two drinks with a request to determine "What did you drink cognac, brandy, rum, armagnac, calvados?" or "YOU" drank whiskey or gin? and 90% of those who try will not be able to tell them apart. see below.
This is due to the fact that they are all aged in oak barrels for a long time. Oak gives these drinks a specific taste and golden color. Moreover, before pouring a new batch of drink into the barrel, it should be planed or sanded at least 1 mm in order to remove the smell of the previous batch.
So they do with barrels as high as two human heights and costing many thousands of dollars. We can achieve a similar taste and aroma by insisting moonshine (double distillation) by mixing it with finely chopped oak twigs.
I want to note here that oak leaves give the drink a brighter color, but they also add bitterness to the drink.
And now about the differences between all these drinks:
Gin- a strong alcoholic drink with a strength of at least 45%. Made by distillation grain alcohol with the addition of vegetable spices, usually juniper berry, coriander, angelica, orris root, almonds and others.
Whiskey(English) whiskey or whiskey) is a strong aromatic alcoholic drink obtained from various types of grain using the processes of malting, distillation and long-term aging in oak barrels.
Scotch is a popular alcoholic drink, namely, scottish e whiskey. Scotland does not own the exclusive right to make whiskey.
As you can see, it's practically the same.
Now for the other group.
Cognac(fr. cognac) - a strong alcoholic drink, made from certain grape varieties. I wonder if many people can to distinguish moonshine (chacha) from different grape varieties, and even if they are blended.? And of course it is aged for a long time in oak barrels.
Brandy- an alcoholic beverage, a general term for distillation products of grape wine, fruit or berry mash (usually 40-60% ABV). Unless otherwise stated, brandy is made from grape wine. Naturally, it is also aged for a long time in oak barrels.
Armagnac - drink Gascons. Of all brandy, produced in France, only Armagnac can rival cognac. The distillation of wines is traditionally carried out with the help of an Armagnac distillation apparatus, i.e. continuously."Sweep" distillation is used for small production volumes.
At the outlet of the distillation apparatus, the alcohol composition is colorless and has an alcohol content of 52 to 70 degrees. It is immediately placed in oak barrels, where it acquires a subtle aroma and absorbs the tannins and aromatic substances of the tree.
The second step after aging is dilution, i.e. combination of a number of alcohol solutions of various origins and ages in order to obtain a homogeneous harmonious product. "Armagnac", going on sale, must have an alcohol content of about 40 percent.
In order to reduce the strength of alcohol solutions, a mixture of distilled water and Armagnac is added to them in several steps.
Rum(English rum, Spanish ron, French rhum) is a strong alcoholic drink made by fermentation and distillation from by-products of sugar cane production, such as molasses and cane syrup. Aged for a long time in oak barrels. It has a pronounced caramel flavor.
in fact, cognac, brandy, whiskey, scotch and many other drinks little known to us are one and the same, the differences are minimal and they appear in patents, place of production and raw materials, but I am sure that a simple person will not be able to distinguish one from another, like Pepsi / Cola from fantasy or cocast, the difference is minimal and can be noticeable only to those people who constantly consume 1 and the same drink
Send me, I'll drink here =)
The difference is in aging, cognacs are made from grape spirits over 3 years old, and brandy from grape spirits of lesser aging, in addition, the addition of fruit or blended spirits is allowed.
Scotch is a subspecies of whiskey (Scotch whisky), cognac is a subspecies of brandy (from that very same province). Rum and gin are other types of booze.
Whiskey is made from any grain (Scottish and Irish classics - barley), which is roasted (scotch on peat, so the taste is burnt, the Irish improved the process with coal, and then with gas), fermented, and then kept in oak barrels. Scotch and Irish whiskey are kept in used cognac barrels. From 3 to dick knows how many years. The longer the whiskey sits in the barrel, the less it remains (because of this, it is more expensive) and the darker it is. Chistogan 12-year-old is not drinkable, so it is diluted with younger whiskey. American whiskey - bourbon - is kept in new barrels (and they are driven almost from corn) because of some kind of American laws, so bourbon tastes the most shitty, but it will go in Kokchik.
Brandy is what happens when wine or grape juice is poured into a moonshine still. If this is done in the correct geographical point, then you can somehow call your fuselage in a punny way.
Rum is what people do when they really want to drink, but there is nothing, and there are only sugar plantations, blacks and pirates around.
Gin is when they wanted to make moonshine, but a juniper bush, a hedgehog, a bear and a horse fell into the vat to a heap.
Spirits such as cognac, whiskey and brandy are initially colorless, unlike beer and wine. Their golden brown color, as well as other shades, is due to the aging process during aging in wooden barrels.
The most important stage is cognac aging. It is believed that it is a decisive factor for the achievement of the drink of the highest degree of quality.
Cognac is aged in 350-liter oak barrels from 3 to 25 years or more. The material from which the barrels are made is of particular importance. Cognacs contain about 500 components, and very old ones contain more than 2000. And all of them pass into alcohol from oak.
Barrel production is a whole science in itself. They are made from the oak of the Limousin forests, located 150 kilometers east of the city of Cognac, as well as the oak that has grown in the Tronce forest. Barrels are made without a single nail. It is believed that the older the barrel, the more valuable it is. Such antiques are literally worth their weight in gold, they are carefully guarded, even specially bred spiders that braid the barrels with cobwebs and protect them from pests.
After several decades of operation, the top layer of wood inside the barrel is "worked out", and it is carefully scraped off (1-2 mm), after which the barrel again helps the drink to be born.
The shelf life of cognac depends on several factors and can reach a hundred years. During storage, the drink evaporates at a rate of 2-4% per year, and also loses strength up to 40 degrees.
The most complex process is blending, that is, mixing cognac spirits of different aging, different harvests, since one single grape harvest cannot impart diverse taste and aromatic qualities to cognac.
First, they usually mix cognacs of approximately the same age, from one to three years, but from different Charente vineyards. This type is called the "first brand" (coupe premiere). Then comes the stage of blending cognacs of different ages "mother cup" (coupe mere) and, finally, the final stage (coupe finale) - the final mixing to give the drink the intended characteristics.
At the end of the process, the alcohol content in cognac is reduced to 40% by volume, adding distilled water, and a certain dose of caramel is added to it to give your drink a more saturated color. This operation is completely finished and meets the conviction of consumers who believe that the darker the cognac, the older. However, this opinion is absolutely wrong, since an alcoholic drink that has spent forty years in a lightly burned barrel acquires an amber color, becomes almost light.
Loading...