WSET Spirits Actual Exam
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Correct Detailed Answers
Guaranteed Pass!!
Distillation - History - ANSWER • 800: Emerald tablet describes distillation
process
• Geber (721-815): Arabic scientist inventor of spirits. Direct references to
distilling wine and condensing into spirit in 'serpent' (coil). Araq: 'water of life'
• 8-9th: first distilled spirits made in Russia & Poland. Used with herbs in 10th-
15th for medicinal use.
• 11th: references of distillation in Andalucia
• 13th: distillation spreads via monks for medicinal use
• 15-16th: devt of more advanced techniques with multiple distillation
1405: first written evidence of Vodka production 1494: first official record of
distillation involving malt 1533: first apple brandy calvados.
1549: important of Cognac wine distilled
1572: eau de vie de genievre made by Franciscus Sylvius + Lucas Bols' distillery.
• 17-18th: dominance of Dutch who create the spirits category.
1608: 'mezcal wine' during Spanish occupation
Rise of rum as part Caribbean trade devt
• 19th: commercial rise of alcohol.
1827: Aenas Coffey (Irish) patents a continuous still distillation system.
Rise of US Whisky industry
,Distillation -Production Components - ANSWER Raw Materials, Sugar,
Fermentation, Distillation, Maturation, Finishing
Distillation - Process - ANSWER 4. Distillation: separation of alcohol from
water via heating process in stills
6%<Liquid wash(water, ethanol & congeners)<10% with 90-94% water. Alcohol
evaporates @78.3C vs. 100C for water. a. Pot still ~large copper kettles [Scotch /
N-A whiskeys / ]
Key parts: pot with internal coil / swan neck / lyne arm / condenser Requires 2-3
distillations to concentrate wash. Method:
1. Heating of wash in pot via internal steam coil
2. Alcohol vapour rises up the Swan neck that allows separation of the mixture
components
3. Alcohol continues into the Lyne arm (usually tilted downwards) that enriches
the spirit
4. Alcohol vapour cooled into condenser and collected at 23% abv
5. 2nd distillation with mix of some heads & tails from previous distillation
Heads: lower boiling point congeners e.g. methanol. Pungent aromas. Usually
unwanted.
Heart: middle cut with deeper, richer, fruitier and heavier aromas with lowering
abv
Tails: heaviest compounds (fusel oils). Small amount gives weight to spirits e.g.
malt whisky.
NB: Heads & tails still have a lot of ethanol and residual desirable flavours, they
can be mixed (feints) + recovered.
Small pot still => heavy spirit Large pot still => lighter spirit Earlier cut => lighter,
more floral alcohol Later cut => heavier spirit Key considerations:
,- Copper interaction i.e. size of the neck. More interaction => lighter spirit
- Speed i.e. faster => less interaction => heavier spirit - Reflux will influence
flavour
- Condensation system: old worm tubes produce heavier character vs. modern
shell & tube rich in copper.
Pot stills produce spirits w higher congener levels (+) more complexity (+) but is
relatively inefficient (-) and rich in heavier alcohol (-)
parts of a Pot Still - ANSWER Key parts: pot with internal coil / swan neck /
lyne arm / condenser
Distillation Column Stills - ANSWER [Vodka, Light rums, base spirit for Gin]
Coffey still: 2 tall linked columns - the rectifier and analyser each divided in small
perforated trays.
1. Cold wash into rectifier via copper pipe & heated up while going down
2. Hot liquid wash (90-94C) introduced at top of analyser where meets hot steam
introduced at the bottom of the analyser
3. Alcohol vapours formed in analyser pushed back into bottom of rectifier where
meets cold wash
4. Alcohol extracted at different levels: heads at the top, heart in the middle, tails
at the bottom.
¾ Single-still column stills: same process but lower abv at the end. Bourbon, Rhum
agricole, Armagnac.
¾ 3+ Column stills
1. Wash enters 1st column (stripping column) that will remove the heads
, 2. Alcohol vapours into 2nd column (intermediate) & 3rd column (rectifier) to
extract congeners Multiple column stills: to clean up spirit to high degree. E.g. 2
Coffey stills + hydroselector. Vodka.
Distillation - Maturation - ANSWER 3 stages of wood ageing:
a. Removal of general harshness and unwanted compounds by evaporation +
carbon from cask
b. Colouring + flavouring (first vanillins & lactones) from oak.
US oak => vanilla, coconut, spice & chocolate
EU oak => colour, tannins, dried fruits & cloves
FR oak => tannins, spice + light vanilla
c. Development of new aromas with full oak & spirit interaction: rancio
(mushroom, cheese, savoury decay) Smaller and new oak cask => more
interaction => more flavour
Distillation - Finishing - ANSWER blending / colouring/flavouring (e.g. Gin w
botanicals) / reduction with water
Distillation - Business - ANSWER World: - Vodka most popular spirit with
400m litres consumed every year.
- 6 out of the top 10 spirit consumption countries are in Asia-Pacific
The UK (Datamonitor 2011)
Questions With Reviewed 100%
Correct Detailed Answers
Guaranteed Pass!!
Distillation - History - ANSWER • 800: Emerald tablet describes distillation
process
• Geber (721-815): Arabic scientist inventor of spirits. Direct references to
distilling wine and condensing into spirit in 'serpent' (coil). Araq: 'water of life'
• 8-9th: first distilled spirits made in Russia & Poland. Used with herbs in 10th-
15th for medicinal use.
• 11th: references of distillation in Andalucia
• 13th: distillation spreads via monks for medicinal use
• 15-16th: devt of more advanced techniques with multiple distillation
1405: first written evidence of Vodka production 1494: first official record of
distillation involving malt 1533: first apple brandy calvados.
1549: important of Cognac wine distilled
1572: eau de vie de genievre made by Franciscus Sylvius + Lucas Bols' distillery.
• 17-18th: dominance of Dutch who create the spirits category.
1608: 'mezcal wine' during Spanish occupation
Rise of rum as part Caribbean trade devt
• 19th: commercial rise of alcohol.
1827: Aenas Coffey (Irish) patents a continuous still distillation system.
Rise of US Whisky industry
,Distillation -Production Components - ANSWER Raw Materials, Sugar,
Fermentation, Distillation, Maturation, Finishing
Distillation - Process - ANSWER 4. Distillation: separation of alcohol from
water via heating process in stills
6%<Liquid wash(water, ethanol & congeners)<10% with 90-94% water. Alcohol
evaporates @78.3C vs. 100C for water. a. Pot still ~large copper kettles [Scotch /
N-A whiskeys / ]
Key parts: pot with internal coil / swan neck / lyne arm / condenser Requires 2-3
distillations to concentrate wash. Method:
1. Heating of wash in pot via internal steam coil
2. Alcohol vapour rises up the Swan neck that allows separation of the mixture
components
3. Alcohol continues into the Lyne arm (usually tilted downwards) that enriches
the spirit
4. Alcohol vapour cooled into condenser and collected at 23% abv
5. 2nd distillation with mix of some heads & tails from previous distillation
Heads: lower boiling point congeners e.g. methanol. Pungent aromas. Usually
unwanted.
Heart: middle cut with deeper, richer, fruitier and heavier aromas with lowering
abv
Tails: heaviest compounds (fusel oils). Small amount gives weight to spirits e.g.
malt whisky.
NB: Heads & tails still have a lot of ethanol and residual desirable flavours, they
can be mixed (feints) + recovered.
Small pot still => heavy spirit Large pot still => lighter spirit Earlier cut => lighter,
more floral alcohol Later cut => heavier spirit Key considerations:
,- Copper interaction i.e. size of the neck. More interaction => lighter spirit
- Speed i.e. faster => less interaction => heavier spirit - Reflux will influence
flavour
- Condensation system: old worm tubes produce heavier character vs. modern
shell & tube rich in copper.
Pot stills produce spirits w higher congener levels (+) more complexity (+) but is
relatively inefficient (-) and rich in heavier alcohol (-)
parts of a Pot Still - ANSWER Key parts: pot with internal coil / swan neck /
lyne arm / condenser
Distillation Column Stills - ANSWER [Vodka, Light rums, base spirit for Gin]
Coffey still: 2 tall linked columns - the rectifier and analyser each divided in small
perforated trays.
1. Cold wash into rectifier via copper pipe & heated up while going down
2. Hot liquid wash (90-94C) introduced at top of analyser where meets hot steam
introduced at the bottom of the analyser
3. Alcohol vapours formed in analyser pushed back into bottom of rectifier where
meets cold wash
4. Alcohol extracted at different levels: heads at the top, heart in the middle, tails
at the bottom.
¾ Single-still column stills: same process but lower abv at the end. Bourbon, Rhum
agricole, Armagnac.
¾ 3+ Column stills
1. Wash enters 1st column (stripping column) that will remove the heads
, 2. Alcohol vapours into 2nd column (intermediate) & 3rd column (rectifier) to
extract congeners Multiple column stills: to clean up spirit to high degree. E.g. 2
Coffey stills + hydroselector. Vodka.
Distillation - Maturation - ANSWER 3 stages of wood ageing:
a. Removal of general harshness and unwanted compounds by evaporation +
carbon from cask
b. Colouring + flavouring (first vanillins & lactones) from oak.
US oak => vanilla, coconut, spice & chocolate
EU oak => colour, tannins, dried fruits & cloves
FR oak => tannins, spice + light vanilla
c. Development of new aromas with full oak & spirit interaction: rancio
(mushroom, cheese, savoury decay) Smaller and new oak cask => more
interaction => more flavour
Distillation - Finishing - ANSWER blending / colouring/flavouring (e.g. Gin w
botanicals) / reduction with water
Distillation - Business - ANSWER World: - Vodka most popular spirit with
400m litres consumed every year.
- 6 out of the top 10 spirit consumption countries are in Asia-Pacific
The UK (Datamonitor 2011)
