WSET Level 2: Spirits Exam Study Guide
with Complete Solutions
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
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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
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