The Science of Aging in Alcohol Distillation – Part 3

Alcohol Distillation Part Three

Producing spirit such as whiskey requires the patience to allow it to age in barrels over several years before bottling it up and selling it on shelves or barrels for further aging. While some producers opt to leave nature take its course when it comes to this stage of distillation, others have developed techniques designed to accelerate this process.

Ethanol alcohol is the essential drinkable component of distilled spirits, but there are numerous other chemical compounds with different boiling points present that contribute to flavor and aroma, collectively referred to as congeners. They’re captured during distillation process and often described as heads and tails of the spirit, with desirable ethanol at the center. Unfortunately some congeners like methanol (CH3OH), with its boiling point below that of ethanol, may be toxic and cause blindness if consumed at sufficient volumes – these congeners must be captured using fractionating columns so they can be separated.

Aging spirits in barrels can add distinctive flavors and textures that cannot be achieved when distilling alone. A series of slow chemical reactions take place, led by interactions between wood molecules in the barrels and acids, esters, acetic acid, furfural tannins phenols as well as various other components – this process also influences light exposure which impacts its final character of any spirit produced during this phase.