WSET Level 2: Spirits Exam 2023

distillation - Answer- a process that increases the alcohol content of a liquid pot still - Answer- batch process that produces characterful spirits of relatively low strength oldest, simplest kind of still; relatively inefficient = multiple distillations needed continuous still - Answer- continuous process that can produce very high-strength, neutral spirit, or lower strength spirits more efficient than pot still _____ strength spirits generally have more character from the base material, but have harsher alcohol - Answer- lower strength _____ strength spirits are lighter in character & smoother - Answer- higher strength direct from the still, all spirits are ______ & ______ - Answer- water-white & bone-dry most spirits are _____ to around __% abv before bottling - Answer- reduced (diluted with water) 40% abv _____ are extremely important in most spirits categories - Answer- Brands ethanol boils at a _____ temperature than water - Answer- lower heads - Answer- aka foreshots the most volatile components, which boil off first in a still contain undesirable components including methanol not used in the final spirit, returned to pot to be redistilled hearts - Answer- aka spirit follows the heads contains the highest proportion of ethanol & lowest proportion of undesirable impurities tails - Answer- aka feints least volatile components that boil off last & not used in the final spirit, returned to the pot to be redistilled most stills are made of ____ - Answer- copper when tasting spirits, more emphasis is placed on ____ - Answer- the aromas & flavors- especially in the finish when tasting spirits, pour __mL of the spirt to assess ____ & then add ___mL of ___ to assess the ____ & _____ - Answer- -25mL spirits to assess appearance -25mL water to assess the nose & palate _____ in spirits is usually a sign of a fault - Answer- haziness adding water to spirits helps to _____ - Answer- release the aromas (do not swirl) aroma groups for spirits are very ____ from those for wine - Answer- different Brandy - Answer- wine that is distilled & usually aged Cognac - Answer- oak aged grape brandy from Cognac region (north of Bordeaux) made with copper pot still amber color, fruity, floral & elegant, dry Armagnac - Answer- oak aged grape brandy from Armagnac region (south of Bordeaux) made with continuous or pot still amber color, robust, with dried fruit aromas, dry VS, VSOP, XO (Napoleon) - Answer- indicate increasing age, but their meing is only legally controlled for Cognac & Armagnac Brandy de Jerez - Answer- Grape brandy matured in the Sherry region (Spain) pot or continuous still amber or brown color; dried fruit aromas; full bodied with medium sweetness (added sugar) marc or grappa - Answer- spirit from distilled grape skins or residue left over from fermentation