Different Types of

Liquors
-also known as spirits, is
an alcoholic beverage
made of grains or other
plants that are fermented
into a potent drink.
The distillation process purifies the liquid and
removes diluting components like water, for the
purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol
content. Liquors are the base of cocktails and mixed
drinks and are also very often drunk on the rocks
and neat. 
And when people do shots, the shots are often
straight liquor. When liqueurs and other mixers
are added to these popular party drinks, they
are technically considered a shooter.
Liqueurs are liquor because they are distilled spirits.
The general difference is that liqueurs are
sweetened spirits with various flavors, oils, and
extracts added; rum, whiskey, brandy, and other
liquors can serve as a base spirit for liqueurs.
Different Types of
Liquors
is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage with different
varieties.  It is composed primarily of water and 
ethanol, but sometimes with traces of impurities and
flavorings.
Traditionally made from potatoes, most vodka today is
produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or
wheat and molasses.

Because of its distillation process, vodka tends to have

little-to-no flavour but it can have varying
characteristics depending on the different methods
and ingredients used resulting in a range of tastes and
textures.
Initially used as a medicinal remedy, vodka as a drink
slowly increased in popularity and through advances
in distillation and distribution it eventually reached
the mass-market, becoming the national drink of
choice in both countries.
 Raw Materials
Vegetables or grains – vodka can be produced from virtually any
fermentable ingredients that contain sugar or starch, but it’s mostly
made from potatoes, sugar beet molasses and cereal grains. Rye is a
popular choice for Polish vodka while barley is favored in Finland and
wheat in Russia.
Malt meal – The presence of this ingredient is often required to enable
the transformation of starch into sugar.
Malt meal – The presence of this ingredient is often required to enable
the transformation of starch into sugar.
Water – Since water forms some 70% of the contents of a bottle of Vodka
the type of water used can have significant effect to the final taste and
mouthfeel. Distilleries are usually located where there is a plentiful
supply of water, ideally which is soft and low in salts and ions making
artesian wells or natural springs a preferable choice. Though modern
technology allows distillers to demineralize water to produce a pure,
tasteless water that won’t affect the final flavour.

Flavour additives – Commonly used at the end of the production process

to add varying characteristics. 
 HISTORY
Origin of modern vodka can be traced to the Poland and
Russia. These two countries are in a disagreement to this
day, trying to determine who was first to create this iconic
drink.
Historically speaking, the first record of the production of
vodka (its name was derived from the Russian word
"voda", which means "water") comes from the 9th century
Russia, and the first distillery was mentioned in the
Russian newspaper Vyatka Chronicle two centuries later
in 1174. Polish clam of the discovery of vodka goes back
to the 8th century, but many historians are in an
agreement that by then they only produced crude brandy,
distilled from the wine.
 Alcoholic Strength

The minimum ABV for standard vodka production in Poland,

Russia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia,
Lithuania, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine is 40% ABV
(alcohol by volume).
This figure differs in the European Union which has established a
minimum of 37.5% ABV. In the United States products sold as
vodka must have a minimum alcohol content of 40%.
also spelled whisky, any of several distilled
liquors made from a fermented mash of 
cereal grains and including Scotch, Irish,
and Canadian whiskeys and the various
whiskeys of the United States. Whiskey is
always aged in wooden containers, usually
of white oak. 
Whiskey was originally used as a medicine,
both as an internal anesthetic and an external
antibiotic. Distilling techniques were brought to
Ireland and Scotland sometime between 1100
and 1300 by monks. Since wine was not easily
obtained there, barley beer was distilled into a
liquor which became whiskey.
 By the way, is it whiskey or whisky?

That depends where it’s made. Yes, whisk(e)y can be

spelled both with an “e” and without, which does
confuse even the most seasoned drinkers. But, it
turns out the letter is very important to the story of the
spirit. The Irish use the “e,” a tradition that carried over
to American-made whiskeys. The Scots do not use
the “e,” and distillers in Canada and Japan follow their
lead. Hence, whisky or whiskies.
 TYPES OF WHISK(E)Y

Scotch whisky is generally made from malted barley or

grain with the spirit aged in oak casks for more than three
years. Entirely made in Scotland, Scotch is divided into
five distinct categories that include single malt, single
grain, blended malt, blended grain and blended scotch
whisky. Scotch has an earthy and smoky flavour.
Irish whiskey is made in Eire (Republic of Ireland) or in
Northern Ireland. It is made from yeast-fermented grain mash or
a mash of malted cereals and takes about three years to age in
a wooden cask. Irish whiskey has a smoother finish as
compared to scotch.

Bourbon is a distilled American whiskey, primarily made from corn

and is stored in charred oak casks and does not contain any additives.
A slightly sweet tasting whiskey, bourbon also is also a bit smoky and
has a reddish colour due to fermentation in charred oak casks.
Tennessee whiskey is a type of whiskey produced in
Tennessee in the United States. The difference between
Tennessee whiskey and bourbon lies in the method of
filtering. Tennessee whiskey is steeped in charcoal before
going into the casks for fermentation.

Rye whiskey is primarily made in North America with a mash

of at least 51 percent rye and is aged in charred barrels for at
least two years. Rye is a type of grass that is a member of
the wheat family. This whiskey has a slight fruity and spicy
flavour and is great for making whiskey cocktails
Japanese whisky is a type of whisky produced in
Japan. This whiskey uses double malted or peated
barley and is aged in a wooden cask. Unlike the
other whiskies, it is drier and smokier and comes as
single malts or blends. 
The term 'whisky' derives originally from the Gaelic
'uisge beatha', or 'usquebaugh', meaning 'water of
life'. Gaelic is that branch of Celtic spoken in the
Highlands of Scotland. When was Scotch
Whisky first distilled? Whisky has been distilled in
Scotland for hundreds of years.
 -is a distilled alcoholic drink made by
fermenting then distilling sugarcane
molasses or sugarcane juice. The
distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged
in oak barrels.
There are a number of styles of rum produced.
Light, gold, dark, spiced, and flavored rums are
among the most popular. There are also origin-
specific styles like cachaça and rhum
agricole available.
Light-bodied rum is sometimes referred to as 
white or silver rum. It is the most common style
of rum and is a very subtle liquor, much like 
vodka with a sweet tooth.

Medium-bodied rums are often called gold or amber rum.

They are often quite rich and surprisingly smooth. This
taste profile is a result of either the production of
congeners (organic compounds produced during
production) or the addition of caramel. 
Similar in color and body to gold rum, aged rums
should be distinguished from their counterparts
because these do not include any additives. The
majority of "dark" rums fall into this category as
well. Aged rums will obtain their golden color from
the barrels that they are aged in. Because these
rums are in contact with the wood for a longer
time, they naturally pick up the flavors and colors
of the barrel.
Heavy-bodied or dark rums are typically used in 
rum punches. It's also common to find them mixed
along with a light rum in many tiki cocktails such
as the popular hurricane.

Overproof or high-proof rum is often only used as a 

float in cocktails. This potent rum is 75 to 75 1/2 percent alcohol
by volume (150 to 151 proof) and can be as dangerous to drink
as Everclear if it is not diluted in some way.This is a popular rum
for creating flamed drinks because the high alcohol content
makes it easy to burn.
The Brazilian rum known as cachaça differs from
others because it skips the molasses and instead uses
pure sugar cane juice in the distillation process. By law,
cachaça must be produced in Brazil. Cachaça is one of
the sweetest rums available, though many people—
particularly in Brazil—don't like to categorize it as a
rum. Instead, it's often thought of as a unique distilled
spirit that is its own category.
Similar to cachaça, rhum agricole is also distilled from
pure sugar cane juice. Rhum agricole is noted for its
grassy, sweet taste because sugar cane is a grass. The
purity of the juice imparts a special flavor to this style of
rum. Like most rums, it can be mixed into almost any
cocktail you can think of.

Flavoring rum by adding spices and aromatics during

distillation became popular in the latter part of the 20th
century. Coconut rum and spiced rum are the most
popular and have been around the longest. You can also
find mango, strawberry, and many other flavors to choose
from.
Rums originated in the West Indoes and are first mentioned in
records from Barbados in about 1650. They were called “kill-
devil” or “rum bullion” and by 1667 were simply called rum.
Rum figured in the slave trade of the American colonies: slaves
were brought from Africa and traded to the West Indies for
molasses; the molasses was made into rum in New England;
and the rum was then traded to Africa for more slaves. British
sailors received regular rations of rum from the 18th century
until 1970. Rum, the major liquor distilled during the early
history of the United States, was sometimes mixed
with molasses and called blackstrap or mixed with cider to
produce a beverage called stonewall.
is a distilled alcoholic drink that
derives its predominant flavour
from juniper berries. Gin is one
of the broadest categories of
spirits, all of various origins,
styles, and flavour profiles, that
revolve around juniper as a
common ingredient.
 Gin has an herbal flavor marked with citrus and spices.
Most gin is dry with a noticeable pine flavor because
juniper dominates traditional recipes. The oldest styles
tend to be sweeter while modern styles put less emphasis
on the juniper and may focus on another herb, fruit, or
spice flavor.

Gin likely traces its origins to liquors produced back in the

Middle Ages, with references to a spirit flavored with “genever”
referenced in a 13th Century Flemish manuscript. By the
1600s, the Dutch were producing gin in earnest, with
hundreds of distilleries in the city of Amsterdam alone.
 Classifications

London Dry Gin can be produced anywhere in the world. It is

very dry, light-bodied and pungent and represents what most
people think of when they think about gin. London gin may not
contain added sweetening exceeding 0.1 grams of sugars per
liter of the final product, nor colorants, nor any added
ingredients other than water.The term London gin may be
supplemented by the term "dry".
Plymouth Gin can only be produced in Plymouth, England.
This Gin is relatively full bodied; it is always clear, slightly
fruity and very aromatic. Plymouth Gin must be made from
only 100% wheat based neutral spirits which contains no
bitter botanicals, and is softer, earthier and contains slightly
less Juniper than other Gins. Slightly less dry than a London
Dry Gin.
New Western Dry Gin An umbrella term for a new
wave of gins which is alternatively called New American
or International Style. Commonly, these gins have low
levels of juniper and a wider, more unusual range of
botanicals; many are made by small distillers who each
try to add their own unique stamp to the gin.
Old Tom A sweet style gin very popular in the 18th
and 19th centuries; in flavor profile. It sits between
Genever and London Dry. It is seeing a resurgence
in popularity due to the accelerating craft cocktail
movement. OldTom Gins were made with the
addition of sweeteners to hide impurities imparted
through previously poor distillation practices 
Genever Traditional of the Netherlands; Genever, or
Holland gin, is the original juniper spirit and forerunner
of today’s gin. Made from a malt grain base resulting in
some whisky characteristics. Available in two styles
“jonge” [young] and “oude” [old] which relates to the
production method as opposed to the age. Jonge
Genever has much in common with a London Dry Gin,
though often sweeter it can be used in the same way. 
 is a distilled spirit made
from the agave plant. The
liquor can only be
produced in designated
areas of Mexico. 

 Today, it is one of the most popular liquors in

the world, though it's most often consumed in
Mexico and the U.S. While tequila is the
essential ingredient in margaritas and tequila
shots are very popular, there are many other
cocktail recipes in which it can be mixed.
Tequila is made by distilling the fermented juices of the
Weber blue agave plant (Agave tequilana). A member of
the lily family, it looks like a giant aloe vera with spiked
barbs on the tips. After seven to 10 years of growth,
the agave plant is ready to be harvested.

Underground, the plant produces a large bulb called a piña, which

looks similar to a white pineapple. The agave's leaves are
removed and the piñas are quartered and slowly baked in steam
or brick ovens until the starches are converted to sugars. The
baked agave is crushed to extract the sweet juice, which is then
fermented with yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol.
Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the
location of the city of Tequila, which was not officially
established until 1666. A fermented beverage from the
agave plant known as pulque was consumed in pre-
Columbian central Mexico before European contact.

Blanco Tequila: Blanco (or silver, white) tequila is a clear

spirit. These tequilas are rested no more than 60 days in
stainless steel tanks if they are aged at all. In general, it's
a quality, affordable, all-purpose tequila to keep in stock.
 Joven Tequila: Joven (young) or oro (gold) tequilas are often unaged
tequilas. Unlike the other styles, they are typically not 100 percent
agave, but instead a mixto. These tequilas may be colored and flavored
with caramel, oak extract, glycerin, syrup, and other additives.

Reposado Tequila: Reposado (rested) tequilas are aged in wood

casks for a minimum of two months; many from three to nine
months. The barrels mellow the flavors of a blanco and impart a
soft oak flavor while giving the tequila a light straw color. Many
distilleries age their tequilas in used bourbon barrels, which adds
another dimension to the finished taste. Reposado tequilas are
the middle ground of the three main types of tequila today.
 Añejo Tequila: Añejo (old) tequila is aged, often in white French
oak or used bourbon barrels, for a minimum of one year to produce
a dark, very robust spirit. Most añejos are aged between 18 months
and three years. These tend to be very smooth with a nice balance
of agave and oak flavors accented by butterscotch and caramel
undertones.

Extra-Añejo Tequila: The change in the tequila market of recent

decades led to the creation of the fifth type of tequila in 2006,
which is labeled extra-añejo or muy añejo (extra-old). These
tequilas spend over three years in barrels and have a profile that
rivals some of the oldest whiskeys you can find.
Scotch is whisky (spelled without the "e") that must be produced in
Scotland, made from mostly malted barley and aged in oak barrels
for three years or more.

The first written mention of Scotch whisky is in the Exchequer Rolls

of Scotland, 1495. A friar named John Cor was the distiller at
Lindores Abbey in the Kingdom of Fife.
Single malt Scotch whisky is today, the most popular choice in North
American homes. This is an aged whisky made by a single distillery
using only malted barley and water. It contains no other cereals and
must be distilled, produced and bottled in Scotland.

Single grain Scotch whisky is less commonly found on the shelves

of your local liquor store. It starts out with water and a malted barley
but then has additional whole grains or cereals added to it which
prevents it from complying with the laws that would permit it to be
called single malt. Just like with single malt Scotch, it too has to be
bottled in Scotland in order for it to be able to use the “Scotch” name.
It is this type of Scotch that most blended Scotch whisky is made
from.
A blended Scotch whisky is made from at least one or more single
malt Scotch whiskeys that are blended together with a single grain
Scotch whisky.

A blended malt Scotch is actually one of the most uncommon

types of Scotch that can be found today. Previously called a “vatted
malt” or a “pure malt” it is when the blender takes two or more
single malt Scotch whiskeys from at least two separate distilleries
and blends them together to create one batch of whisky.
A blended grain Scotch is similar to that of a
blended malt, except it utilizes two or more single
grain Scotch whiskeys from at least two separate
distilleries. They are then blended together to
create a single batch of whisky.
is a distilled spirit produced from fermented fruit
juice. Most often, the fruit is grapes—making
brandy distilled wine—though apple, apricot,
peach, and other fruits can be used to make
brandy. 
Brandy derives its name from the Dutch word brandewijn,
meaning "burned wine." It is a liquor distilled from wine or other
fermented fruit juices. Standard brandy is made from grapes,
just like wine. In the early 16th century, a Dutchman trader
invented the way to ship more wine in the limited cargo space by
removing water from the wine. Then he could add the water
back to the concentrated wine at the destination port in Holland.
Cognac is often considered a high-end style and it can be quite expensive,
though there are reasonably priced bottles available.

Armagnac is another French brandy that is protected by an AOC. It is

produced in the Armagnac region of Gascony in the southwest of France.

Spanish Brandy comes from the Andalusian region of Spain and was

originally developed for medicinal purposes. It is more often called brandy de
Jerez and it uses the solera system of adding young spirits to older barrels
during aging. These brandies tend to be sweeter and have a fuller flavor than
other brandies.
Pisco is a brandy from South America and is primarily made in Peru and Chile. There
are four styles of pisco, determined by the grapes used: pisco puro, pisco aromatico,
pisco acholado, and pisco mosto verde. It tends to be bottled at a higher proof than
other brandies, ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent ABV (60 to 100 proof).

American brandy is most often simply called "brandy." Like other countries in the
world, a number of brandies are produced in the United States and there are no special
designations like the French and Spanish brandies.

Eau-de-vie is a French term for fruit brandy that translates to "water of life." The fruit
flavor is typically very light and the spirit is clear, colorless, and unaged. It's often
compared to a traditional German schnapps and, technically, most flavored brandies
are eau-de-vie. Eau-de-vie can be made from a variety of fruit. The most common are
apple (de pomme), pear (de poire), peach (de peche), pomace (marc), and yellow plum
(de mirabelle). It is also used as a base spirit to create sweet, flavored liqueurs.
Flavored brandy is a broad category because brandy can be made from any
fermented fruit juice. Apple, apricot, cherry, and peach brandies are the most
popular and are made throughout the world. Other flavored varieties
include ouzo (a Greek brandy with an anise base), kirschwasser (a German
cherry brandy), and calvados (an apple specialty from Normandy). Applejack is
often made with a blend of apple brandy; Laird's Applejack is one of the top
brands.

Grappa literally means "grape stalk." It originated in Italy as a way to reduce the

amount of waste produced when making wine. Grappa is made by fermenting
and distilling the pomace (left-over grape skins, stems, and seeds) and is
typically clear and unaged. Some distillers will age it, which gives it a yellow or
reddish hue, depending on the type of barrel used.
 is brandy made, primarily, from a blend of grapes that
include the Ugni blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard
varietals. At least 90% of the brandy must be comprised
of those grapes, while an additional 10% can be made of
other kinds, such as Semillon, Folignan, and more. Like
Champagne, cognac must be made in the Cognac region
of France
Cognac was created out of necessity back in the 16th century
when Dutch settlers traveled to France to purchase salt, wood,
and wine. The merchants ran into trouble preserving their wine
on the long journey back and decided to distill it into eau-de-vie,
a colorless fruit brandy, to maximize its quality.

The white wine used in making cognac is very dry, acidic, and

thin. Though it has been characterized as "virtually undrinkable",
it is excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from
a strict list of grape varieties.
 Cognac Types are Created With Blending
V.S. Very Special (minimum of two years of cask
aging)
V.S.O.P. Very Superior Old Pale (minimum of four
years of cask aging)
X.O. Extra Old (minimum of six years of cask
aging)