Shoppers Schoolhouse - Learn About Spirits |
 
Whiskey and other spirits such as rum played a major role in the American colonies and in the new American republic. Boston had an operating rum distillery as early as 1657. It was highly successful and rum became colonial New England's largest and most prosperous industry. The production of rum was disrupted when the British blockade prevented the importation of sugar and molasses. As a result, a substitute was sought to meet the demand for spirits in general and for provisions for the Revolutionary Army. The substitute was whiskey. Even before the Revolution, whiskey was the preferred way to use surplus grains in the frontier settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. The expansion of a corn belt in Kentucky and Ohio had created a corn surplus. There were no roads in the region and most transportation was by packhorse. It cost more to transport corn or grain than it could bring on the eastern markets, so farmers distilled it into "liquid assets" that could easily be shipped or bartered. Every farmer made whiskey and it became a standard of exchange. The first Kentucky whiskey was made in 1789 and a tax on whiskey led to the first test of federal power, the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. After serving as president, George Washington became the new republic's largest whiskey distiller.
Armagnac is a grape brandy from the Gascony region of Southwestern France. Its closest relative is Cognac, another grape brandy from an appellation located about 100 miles north of Armagnac. Even though it is related to and often confused with Cognac, armagnac is very different with regards to its grapes, terroir, distillation, elevage, blending, aromas, tastes and textures. In truth, France's two finest brandies made from wine are not very much alike at all. Armagnac pre-dates cognac by about 150 years but never achieved the widespread sales figures that its relatives in the Charente obtained. However, in contrast to commercial sales, the independent producer of Armagnac has always commanded a more important restaurant presence and level of connoisseur appreciation. Armagnac is made from distilled wine, and grapes are the first factor that gives it an original personality. Even though there are nine permitted varietals in Armagnac, four grapes are commonly used: Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Bacco. While these grapes ultimately give different aromas and flavors, they more importantly offer different weights and textures on the palate.
It's a common misconception that all French brandy is called Cognac. Cognac can only come from one region, which is the agricultural district of the Charente-Maritime departments about 100 miles north of Bordeaux on the coast of France. The Cognac district is one of only three officially designated brandy regions in Europe. The other two regions are Armagnac (France) and Jerez (Spain). The Cognas District is divided into six vineyard districts. The three primary districts are Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and the Borderies and the secondary districts are Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires. All cognacs are produced from wines made from grapes grown and harvested within the cognac region. The St. Emilion variety, also known as ungi blanc, is the main grape type cultivated. Cognac is distilled twice in small copper pot stills. The colorless, high-alcohol distillate, which by law cannot exceed 72% alcohol after the second distillation, is pumped into French oak casks for aging. The legal minimum period of wood aging is two and a half years but most cognacs age for much longer periods, with the best XOs maturing for two to three decades or more.
The word "Gin" is shortened from the English word Genever, which is the Dutch word for juniper. The origins of Gin are sketchy at best. In the 1580s a juniper-flavored spirit was found in Holland by British troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Dutch War of Independence. They drank it to give them what they called "Dutch courage" in battle. The Dutch government encouraged people to favor these grain spirits instead of imported wine and brandy by not taxing these local drinks. The origins became a little more clear a few decades later in the 1600s when a Dr. Franciscus de la Bo? created a juniper and spice-flavored medicinal spirit that he marketed as a diuretic. Genever soon became popular across the English Channel. At first it was used as a medicine and then as a beverage. When the Dutch Protestant William of Orange became ruler of England after the "Glorious Revolution" drove James II from the throne, he was adamant about putting a stop to the importation of brandy from the Catholic wine-making countries by setting high taxes on the spirit. He encouraged the production of grain spirits by eliminating taxes and licensing fees for the distilling of such local products as Gin. By the 1720s it was estimated that a quarter of the households in London were used for the production or sale of Gin. As a result, alcoholism became a serious problem. The government tried to prohibit Gin production by instituting the Gin Act of 1736. This resulted in massive illegal distilling and gross over-marketing marketing dubious "medicinal" spirits with such names as Cuckold's Comfort and My Lady's Eye Water. In Holland the production of Genever was quickly integrated into the extensive Dutch trading system. The port of Rotterdam became the hub of Genever distilling. Distilleries opened there to take advantage of the need for spices that were arriving from the Dutch colonies in the East Indies. Many of today's leading Dutch Genever distillers can trace their origins back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Belgium developed its own juniper-flavored spirit, called Jenever. It is made in a similar manner to that of Holland. The German invasions of Belgium in World Wars I and II had a devastating effect on Jenever production because the Germans stripped the distilleries of their copper stills and piping for use in the production of shell casings. The remaining handful of present-day Belgian Jenever distillers produce Jenever primarily for the local domestic market.
Grappa is a grape-based spirit of Italian origin. It has between 40% and 60% alcohol by volume and is made from the distillation of pomace. Pomace is the residue of grapes, primarily the skins, but also including the stems and seeds that were pressed for the winemaking process. It was originally made to prevent wastage by using the leftovers at the end of the wine season. It soon became mass-produced, and sold to the world. Just like wine, the flavor of grappa depends on the type and quality of the grape used. Many producers have added fruit syrup to sweeten and soften the mix so that it appeals more to the American market. In Italy, grappa is added to espresso and known as a "Caffe Corretto", which can also be made with other alcohols, such as sambuca. The other variation of this is the "Amazza Caffe", also known as "coffee-killer". The espresso is drunk first, followed by a few, downed ounces of grappa served in proper glass. Among the most well-known producers of grappa are Mazzetti, Nardini and Jacopo Poli. While these grappas are produced in quantity and exported, there are many thousands of smaller local and regional grappas, all with distinct character.
Rum is made from fermented molasses, sugar cane, or cane syrup. However, sugar cane is not native to the Caribbean, which is where a majority of rum is produced. Spanish explorers brought it with them on their journeys. Columbus is even said to have planted it on his second voyage to Hispaniola and Cuba. The name "rum" has always been and will always be under debate. In Creole, "rumbullion" means "stem stew" and "an uproar" in British slang. It is believed that the Latin name for sugar, "saccharum", was shortened to rum. Another theory says that it may be French in origin ("arome", meaning "aroma"), relating to the strong smell of dark rum. The drink of choice of the American colonies was rum. It was said to soothe the hardship of the times. It quickly became a profitable import and soon made its way into Colonial life. It was traded for many commodities. Some of the Indian names for rum were, "ockuby" and "achobee". It wasn't long before the early New England colonies started their own trade. American history doesn't stop with rum distillation. George Washington campaigned with seventy-five gallons of free rum. This was distributed to the voters of Virginia, who in 1758, elected him to the House of Burgess. The Boston Tea Party was not just about tea. In 1733 and 1765, the British imposed a tax upon molasses that was not of British import, resulting in a new spirit, Rye, that was easily made from local rye grain. Medford was the common name for rum by New Englanders at that time. Paul Revere was said to have had two glasses of Medford before his famous ride in order to shout, "the English are coming!".
In the ninth century, Irish monks arrived in Scotland to introduce Christianity to the Celtics. They also brought with them the first primitive stills, which they had picked up during their visits to mainland Europe during the Dark Ages. Picts, the ancient people that inhabited Scotland, soon found that they could create a stable alcoholic beverage by distilling their heather ale. Simple stills were found in most rural homesteads, and homemade whisky became an integral part of Gaelic culture. Since the Scottish kings ruled the country from Edinburgh, whisky was considered just another farm product. However, the Act of Union in 1707 that combined England, Wales, and Scotland into the United Kingdom altered the Scotch whisky scene forever. The London government soon instituted taxes on Scottish-made whisky. At the same time they cut the taxes on English gin. The result was an increase in illegal distilling. It was estimated that over 400 illegal stills competed with just eight licensed distilleries. A number of present-day Scottish distilleries, particularly in the Highlands, have their origins in such illicit operations. The Excise Act of 1823 reduced taxes on Scotch whisky to a reasonable degree. This act coincided with the Industrial Revolution, and entrepreneurs were soon building new, state-of-the-art distilleries. The local moonshiners did not go quietly. Some of the first licensed distillers were threatened by the moonshiners, but in the end production efficiencies and the rule of law won out. The whisky that came from these distilleries was made primarily from malted barley that had been kiln-dried over peat fires. The smoke from these peat fires gave the malt a distinctive tang that made the Scottish product instantly identifiable by whisky drinkers around the world. The 19th century brought changes to the Scotch whisky industry. The introduction of column stills in the early 1830s led to the creation of grain whisky, a bland spirit made primarily from corn. Grain whisky led to the creation of blended Scotch whisky in the late 1860s. The smooth blandness of the grain whisky toned down the assertive smoky character of the malt whiskies. The blended whisky proved to be milder and more acceptable to foreign consumers, particularly the English, who turned to Scotch whisky in the 1870s when a phylloxera infestation in Europe disrupted supplies of Cognac and Port. Malt whisky distilleries were bought up by blending companies and their output was blended with grain whiskies to create the great blended brands that have come to dominate the market. The malt whisky distilleries took a back seat to these brands and sold most or all of their production to the blenders. But the recent popular revival of malt whiskies has led most of the distilleries to come out with bottlings of their own products.
The origins of Tequila lie with the indigenous Aztec peoples of Mexico, Otomies, Toltecans, Nahuatls and the Chichimecanswho who made a beverage from the agave plant long before the Spaniards arrived in a village called Tequila in the shade of a dormant volcano named Tequila in a land they called Techinchan. The Spanish conquistadors first arrived in April, 1530. When they were running out of brandy and other comestibles they had brought along from Spain they fermented agave juice. The first tequila factory, however, was not established for 70 years. It was not until 1600 when Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, the Marquis de Altamira started to cultivate mezcal and distill tequila, a liquor that gets its name from the Nahuatl word for "volcano." The town of Tequila, Mexico, became a Municipality in 1824, and its status was elevated to that of a city in 1974. Tequila's reputation is as much a legend as it is an image problem. Movies associated it with dark, hot little adobe cantinas, and drunken cowboys with itchy trigger fingers. In real life, however, it has been famous around the frat house for its monumental hangovers. Baby boomers were originally credited with the current trend from cottage beers and fine imported wines and single-malt scotches to tequila. Boomers are known to be health conscious, and image conscious, so part of tequila's popularity might result from the fact that you've never seen a "tequila gut," while the "beer gut" is endemic in some sectors. Many bars list tequila with their fine sipping brandies and liqueurs, and gourmet chefs use tequila to perk up even their most proven recipes. It works well as ingredient or an accompaniment to a particular dish. Tequila is not considered a hallucinogenic. Nor is it Mexican moonshine. Tequila does not have a maggot or some other worm in the bottle. Tequila is not made from cactus. These are just a few of the myths you'll find in the Universidad de Tequila. Tequila is different from all the other liquors. It can exhibit the same complex subtleties as cognac. It has generated the same loyalty and passion as a fine wine. It can stimulate good conversation and fellowship like a good whisky. When you first start to learn about the different varieties of tequila, keep in mind that there are more than just clear and gold. Under Mexico's tequila law (Norma Oficial Mexicana Tequila, 1949) only certain plants are allowed to be used to make tequila. These plants may be grown in certain regions and tequila may be manufactured only to certain standards. By law, tequila is double-distilled from the fermented juice of the heart of the blue agave plant, and the best stuff is 100 % agave.
The most dominant spirit in Eastern Europe is Vodka and is made by fermenting and distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is either produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, or a variety of other plants. The most used grains for making Vodka are wheat and rye. The best Russian Vodkas are being made from wheat while Poland mainly uses rye mash. Russian distillers look down on using potatoes, but are still very popular with their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillers use the full range of base ingredients. It is very important to choose the correct pot or column because they have a fundamental effect on the final character of Vodka. All Vodka comes out of the still as a clear, colorless spirit, but Vodka from a pot still, which is the same sort used for Cognac and Scotch whisky, will contain some of the aromatics, congeners, and flavor elements of the crop from which it was produced. Pot stills are considered inefficient which results in the spirit needing to be redistilled to increase the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more efficient column still is usually a neutral, characterless spirit. Except for a few specific styles, Vodka is not put in wooden casks or aged for an extensive period of time. However, it can be flavored or colored with a wide variety of fruits, herbs, and spices. Vodka doesn't have a uniform classification. In Poland, Vodkas are graded according to their degree of purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy) and deluxe (luksusowy). In Russia Vodka that is labeled osobaya (special) usually is a superior-quality product that can be exported, while krepkaya (strong) denotes an overproof Vodka of at least 56% ABV. In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." Because American Vodka is, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price. |
