History of cognac: the mystery of origin. Cognac: what is it Alcoholic cocktails with cognac

cognac drink

Alternative descriptions

Hot alcohol

English drink, a mixture of strong hot tea, sugar and rum

A hot drink made from rum or cognac mixed with water and sugar

A variety of hot toddy

Hot drink made from vodka, rum, cognac

What happens if you add sugar (to taste), a teaspoon of cognac and a tablespoon of rum to a glass of freshly brewed strong tea?

Hot intoxicating

Rum drink

Diluted rum

Rum and water

Warm rum

Rum diluted with syrup

Hot vodka drink

Hot rum with sugar

Cognac with sugar and hot water

Hot rum drink

Warmed cinnamon rum

Alcoholic drink

Rum drink

Rum plus sweetened boiling water

Hot rum drink

Hot rum cocktail

Hot alcoholic drink

Alcoholic drink

Rum with hot water

Type of hot toddy

A mixture of rum and boiling water

Rum with boiling water

Drink made from rum, sugar and boiling water

Hot rum drink

Strong drink made from rum

Drink of the chilled

A sweet, diluted hot drink made from rum or cognac

A drink made from rum diluted with hot water and sugar.

Or grok m. eng. rum and water; sailors' drink

What happens if you add sugar (to taste), a teaspoon of cognac and a tablespoon of rum to a glass of freshly brewed strong tea?

Drink for the cold

Hot "rum on three waters"

COGNAC (drink) COGNAC (drink)

COGNAC (French cognac, from the name of the French city of Cognac, Cognac), a strong alcoholic drink (40-60% alcohol by volume), made from cognac alcohol, obtained mainly by distilling dry white grape wines, followed by aging it in oak barrels for at least three years. The name is patented.
Cognac alcohol, long time aged in oak barrels, has a strength ranging from 40 to 57 degrees, has an amber-golden color, a characteristic taste, a spicy aroma with a slight hint of vanilla. The quality of cognac directly depends on the quantity and age of wood in cognac barrels - than longer term the aging of cognac, the higher its quality.
According to the preparation technology, cognac is a mixture of aged cognac alcohol and various cognac wine materials. In the process of making cognac, a mixture is created from several types of cognac essences, aged cognacs, alcohol and distilled water. In addition, a little sugar or raisins, as well as “sugar coloring” (coloring), may be added. After mixing the components, the cognac is again aged in oak barrels for 3 to 5 months, and then filtered and bottled.
According to one version of the origin of this drink, cognac was first served in the first half of the 16th century at celebrations of the marriage of the French king Henry II (cm. HENRY II Valois) with Catherine de Medici.
According to another version, cognac was first produced in 1641. At that time, taxes were increased in France on white wines, which wine merchants from the Charente department exported to large quantities to England, Sweden, Finland. To avoid paying high taxes, wine merchants decided to reduce the volume of their production by distilling wine. For this purpose, winemakers from the city of Cognac invented a large cube in which, by heating wine, a drink containing 30% alcohol was obtained. They believed that finished product consumers can dilute with water and get the wine in full.
However, the liquid aged after distillation in oak barrels (the barrels were made from oak that grew in the forests of the Limousin province (cm. LIMOUSIN (historical region))), turned out to have an original light brown color and a delicate aroma. The drink was named after the city where it was invented. Its popularity increased significantly after the drink was appreciated by Louis XIV. In accordance with court etiquette, cognac was drunk half diluted with water and in small doses.


Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what “COGNAC (drink)” is in other dictionaries:

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  • Spirits. Whiskey, cognac, grappa, rum and other strong drinks. This gift encyclopedia includes the best articles about spirits from the most popular wine magazine in Russia, Simple Wine News: about grappa, cognac and Armagnac, about whiskey not only from...

Thanks to its luxurious and harmonious taste, cognac occupies a privileged position among elite alcoholic beverages. To be so strong, amazingly pure and magically soft at the same time is truly a real art. And cognac masters it perfectly!

LONG AND STORMAL HISTORY

There is no more famous alcoholic beverage than cognac, which occupies a special position due to its high taste qualities. It is a strong alcoholic drink of amber-golden color, with a complex aroma with hints of vanilla and a soft harmonious taste, obtained by double distillation of dry grape wine followed by aging in oak barrels.

The history of cognac began in the 1st century AD, when grapes were brought to the territory of modern France by the Romans. The creation of the Saintonge vineyards occurred during the reign of the Roman Emperor Probus, who expanded the privileges and rights for all Gauls to own vineyards and make wine. At first, the grapes were cultivated in the Rhone River valley, and by the end of the 4th century it had spread throughout France.

The drink got its name from the ancient French city of Cognac (located on the Charente River in the south of France), known since pre-Christian times. In the 12th century, wines produced from the area's grapes and transported by Dutch ships were highly prized in countries along the North Sea coast. During this period, the city of Cognac begins to gain fame thanks to the wine trade.

In the 12th century, with the permission of William X, Duke of Guyenne, a huge wine production area known as Vignoble de Poitou was opened. The wines produced in Vinoble de Poitou were highly prized in the North Sea countries. Transportation was carried out on Dutch ships, which purchased salt on the coast of Poitou.

ABOUT PRODUCTION, DISTILLING AND AGEING...

Distillation

Double distillation (distillation) of wine was developed at the end of the 16th century, and distillation itself was known already in ancient times to the Arabs, who used it to obtain perfumes, incense and other cosmetics. The year 1641 was a turning point in the history of French winemaking. The local craftsmen invented a distillation apparatus (alambik). The unstable Charente wine began to be distilled into alcohol. The benefit was double. Firstly, the resulting alcohol easily withstood long-term transportation (a burning issue at the time). Secondly, the volume of alcohol was significantly less than the initial volume of wine; Consequently, the duties were reduced. Cognac alcohol became the main raw material for the production of cognac.

Meanwhile, another happy circumstance determines the future success of cognac. Louis XIV orders the planting of oak forests for shipbuilding in central France (Limousin, Tronçais). It is these oaks that will subsequently become the most suitable material for making barrels. In the meantime, the Charenteans are cutting down forests in the vicinity of Cognac to plant vines, and using the wood to fire the stills.

At the same time, strict requirements for the production of cognac are being developed. The first cognac firms (“houses”) appeared, including the still existing Augier (“Ogier”), founded in 1643. Around the same time, the first mentions in English sources of an excellent drink called “cogniacke” date back to , since the best vineyards are located in the vicinity of Cognac.

There is reliable evidence that already at the end of the 17th century in the city of Cognac they established the production of a strong alcoholic drink of the same name. It soon became clear that he had interesting property, significantly increasing its taste properties.

And the much-needed long exposure was discovered in the following way. In 1701, war broke out between England and France. Blocked by the English fleet, France stopped supplying the new drink to England, its main consumer. There are many barrels accumulated in wine warehouses, including those made from oak wood. And it turned out that as a result of long-term aging in oak barrels, the taste of the drink sharply increases. Since then, traders began to intentionally keep the drink in barrels for a long time, and also improve the technology of blending (mixing) the components. When the war ended (1713), the cognac production technology was already quite well developed and respectable cognac firms (cognac houses) began to appear.

“TO PULL THE SOUL OUT OF WINE THROUGH THE SECOND DISTILLATION”

Cognac storage

The decisive step in the development of cognac technology as a drink is associated with the name of Jacques de la Croix Maron. The name of this man entails a trail of implausible legends, but who knows, maybe some of them have real facts behind them. A beautiful legend tells that the Chevalier (knight) Jacques de la Croix Maron was a Protestant and was distinguished by valor and loyalty. During the breaks between wars, which were fought in large numbers at that time, he was successfully engaged in winemaking. One day, returning from another campaign, Jacques learned that he had become a cuckold and, in a fit of rage, killed both his wife and her lover. From then on, however, his nights became full of nightmares. Taking advantage of this, the devil decided to take possession of his soul.

One night he appeared to the chevalier, exhausted by mental tossing, and threatened that for the sake of his cherished goal he would not stop at twice boiling his body in boiling water and extracting his soul. Jacques interpreted it in his own way prophetic dream and twice distilled the wine which the vineyards at Zegonzaca gave him.

At the same time, Jacques separated the “head” and “tail” of the distillation product - the initial and final fractions of alcohol. As a result, he retained the “soul” of the wine – the same cognac spirit that is placed in oak barrels for further aging.

Chevalier Jacques poured his double-distilled spirit into a barrel and presented it as a gift to the local monks. Having hidden the barrel, the monks forgot about it, and when a few years later they found it and uncorked it, they discovered a divine drink. This was the first cognac.

However, they say that it was not a matter of jealousy and mental tossing, but of selfish thoughts: Jacques de la Croix-Marron, having resigned from military service and being carried away by alchemy, in search of the fifth element of quintessence for the production of gold, I thought of passing grape alcohol through a distillation apparatus for the second time. But instead of gold, he received a new alcoholic drink, stronger, cleaner and softer in taste.

History is silent about what motivated this amazing man, but thanks to him, cognac was “reborn” and it became possible to extract amazing properties from this drink.

THE DESTINY OF A POPULAR DRINK

The nobility of cognac

The further fate of cognac was as follows. Numerous trading companies(by the way, many of them still exist). Trade volumes constantly grew, and gradually the drink, and the city itself, gained worldwide fame. Which, of course, did not go unnoticed and attracted the attention of Anglo-Saxon merchants, which made it possible to further increase the popularity of the drink.

In 1778 France signed Commercial contract with England, according to which there was a significant reduction in customs duties on cognac. This agreement contributed to a massive increase in the supply of cognac, which required certain efforts to improve production technology. As a result, in 1801 the distillation apparatus was improved, the design of which has remained unchanged since then.

The first cognac sales crisis occurred after Napoleon came to power. The death of King Louis XVI led to the creation of the first European coalition against France, which affected cognac exports, which fell by 60 percent in just one year. However, Napoleon, or rather his army, made a very good advertisement for the drink. As a result, after the end of the Napoleonic wars, almost the whole world knew about cognac. (However, Napoleon left a more significant mark on the history of cognac, giving the name to one of the generally accepted aging periods for the drink).

In the middle of the 19th century, the idea arose to make cognac a recognizable drink, and instead of the traditional supply in barrels, in 1860 the drink began to be supplied in original bottles with labels. Numerous glass factories, printing houses, and packaging production enterprises began to emerge. Around the same time, research began into the reasons for the outstanding qualities of cognac and the first steps were taken to unify quality requirements. To be honest, the influence of soil on the properties of the drink was discovered by accident - during construction railway- but, be that as it may, geologist Coquand found a direct relationship between the quality of cognac and the soil. He proved that it is the limestone-rich lands in the vicinity of the city of Cognac that are the main reason for the unique advantages of the drink.

The invasion of phylloxera (an insect of the aphid family, the most dangerous pest of grapes) in 1890 destroyed almost all the grapevines in the region, and cognac production fell into complete decline. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the revival of the cognac industry begin. At the same time, or more precisely, in 1909, the French Government issued a special decree giving cognac the status of a controlled appellation of origin (AOC, or Appellation d’Origin Controlee). Decrees of 1936 and 1939 within the region identified six zones (Cru) with different soil structures and slightly different climatic conditions, which made it possible to finally unify the requirements for the quality of the drink.

During the Second World War, a special bureau was created in Charente to control the production and sales of wines and cognac spirits in order to preserve stocks, which, after the liberation of France, would be renamed the “National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognac”. The above-mentioned “Vinogradarskaya Technological Station” will become part of the Bureau in 1948, thereby completing the formation of one of the powerful professional organizations in France.

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By its name this noble strong drink owes to the city of Cognac, located in western France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, on the banks of the Charente River. The city of Cognac has existed since pre-Christian times, but it gained its fame starting from the 11th century thanks to the salt trade, including to other countries of Northern Europe. Initially, being only a small boat station, Cognac gradually grows and becomes a large trading center, and in addition to salt, merchants also take barrels of local wine on board their ships (both from the vineyards of Poitou, Champagne and the Borderies).

Story

TO early XVI century, France becomes the main wine producer in Europe, and the export of French wines reaches unimaginable proportions. However, the country suddenly faces a problem: much more wine is produced than required. The desire of winegrowers to produce and sell as much wine as possible gradually leads to a decrease in the quality of the drink. The wine becomes more sour and low in alcohol, as a result of which it often spoils along the way, in the holds of merchant ships. In 1641, taxes on white wines were increased in France. All these circumstances force winegrowers to reduce their production volume.

The winegrowers decide to resort to the method of distilling wine, as a result of which the drink is stronger and the producers decide that subsequently, upon the arrival of traders in the destination country, such wine can be diluted with water and the required volume of a drink of lower strength can be obtained. In Charente, new technologies and equipment for distilling wine appeared, as a result of which a wine distillate was obtained, which, to everyone’s surprise, even the producers themselves liked. In addition, such a drink not only did not spoil during transportation, but also, being in oak barrels for a long time, only improved its qualities and could well be consumed in pure form. Moreover, it was the distillate obtained from Charente grapes that did not have a fusel smell, but had a subtle aroma of oak.

Since the end of the 17th century, it was the city of Cognac that became the center of production of a new strong drink, which gives it its name. Cognac is also produced in some other cities in the region, where cognac houses began to open in the mid-19th century, and the drink itself was bottled instead of barrels. In 1888, the Viticulture Committee was created in Charente, later transformed into the Viticultural Technological Station, the functions of which became the control and regulation of everything related to the process of making cognac. Thus, on May 1, 1909, a Decree was issued clearly defining the territorial boundaries of cognac production - this is most of the territory of Charente and Charente-Maritime, as well as several settlements located in the departments of De Sèvres and Dordogne.

Later, a number of Decrees were issued regulating all aspects of cognac production, according to which its concept can already be clearly defined. Cognac is a strong alcoholic drink obtained by double distillation of dry grape wine of certain white varieties and produced within a strictly defined territory, the center of which is the city of Cognac. Alcoholic drinks produced using similar technology, but outside the region, no longer have the right to be called cognac. Subsequently, such strong drinks in different countries will be called differently - armagnac, brandy, vignac.

Regions

The Cognac region is legally divided into 6 regions, which are subregional appellations:

  • Grande Champagne(Grande Champagne) - perhaps the most famous area cognac production, moreover, located closest to the city of Cognac itself, which is generally considered additional indicators high quality drink;
  • Petit Champagne(Petite Champagne);
  • Borderie(Borderies);
  • Bon Bois(Bons Bois);
  • Feng Bua(Fins Bois);
  • Bau Ordiner(Bois ordinaires).

Often on the label of cognac you can find the inscription Fin Champagne(Fine Champagne), which denotes a blend of cognacs from the Grande Champagne and Petit Champagne regions, provided that the proportion of Grande Champagne cognac spirit in the blend is at least 50%.

The main grape variety used as raw material for the production of cognac is Ugni Blanc(Ugni blanc). Its peculiarity is very slow ripening, good yield, disease resistance and a high percentage of acidity. To a small extent, the Colombard and Folle Blanche varieties are also used to produce cognac, which make it possible to obtain more aromatic and rich alcohols, but the process of growing them is very complicated. In accordance with the Decree of 1936, Semillon, Montille, Mesly Saint-Francois and Jurançon Blanc varieties can also be used in the production of cognac.

Production

The cognac production process includes 3 stages - wine making, distillation and aging. Each stage is strictly regulated. Thus, fermented grape wine is traditionally distilled in a “Charente still”, consisting of three parts: an extraction boiler heated over a fire, a cap - an “onion” and a tube in the shape of a “swan neck”, which is then transformed into a coil that passes through a cooler . At the first stage of distillation, raw alcohol is obtained, its strength is 27-32%. Due to the fact that the wine is distilled unfiltered (“on the lees”), the raw alcohol is rich in flavor and aromatic components, which determine the character of cognac in the future. At the second stage of distillation, a high-quality base cognac alcohol is obtained, the strength of which is 68-72%. The result of secondary distillation largely depends on the “distillation master”, who must skillfully divide the resulting alcohol into 3 parts, cut off the “head” and “tail”, leaving only the “heart” - the middle fraction of the distillate. It is this middle part that will later become cognac.

After distillation, the resulting cognac alcohol is subject to aging - the longest and most important stage of cognac production. According to the law, the minimum aging period for cognac alcohol is 2 years. The maximum period is not limited, but practice shows that after 70 years, cognac practically ceases to develop, undergoing very minor changes. Cognac is aged exclusively in two types of barrels - from Limousin oak (French Limousin), called “stone”, and/or Tronçais oak (French Tronçais), also called “petiolate”.

Aging of cognac is the main criterion for its classification. Cognac classes are established by the National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognac (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac - BNIC), which was formed in the post-war period on the basis of the previously existing Viticultural Technology Station.

Classes

By decision of August 23, 1983, the Bureau determined a whole list of classes of cognac, of which the most commonly used are the following:

  • V.S. (Very Special)— cognac aged for 2 years or more;
  • .S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale)— cognac aged for at least 4 years (this age category includes classes such as V.O. (Very Old), Reserve, Vieux);
  • X.O. (Extra Old)— cognac aged for at least 6 years. This category is also continued by equally well-known classes such as Napoleon, Extra, Vieille Reserve, Hors d'age.

Despite the fact that not every strong drink produced using “cognac” technology has the right to be called cognac, domestic “cognac” and Armenian “cognac” are also popular in Russia, which, however, is officially called brandy.

“Cognac” produced in Russia and the CIS countries has its own “star” classification:

  • 3 stars (***) assigned to “cognac”, which has been aged for 2 to 3 years and has a strength of 40%;
  • 4 stars (****) has a “cognac” with aging from 4 to 5 years and a strength of 41%;

Cognac– a strong alcoholic drink made from alcohol obtained by distilling table wines, followed by aging it in oak barrels. It has a pleasant aroma and characteristic taste. With aging, the taste of the alcohol improves, it becomes softer and develops a pleasant subtle bouquet with vanilla tones. It takes 15-20 years for cognac spirit to reach full maturity.

Classification of cognacs.

There are cognacs ordinary (obtained from 2nd grade cognac alcohol) and vintage (1 variety of long-term aging).

TO ordinary include cognacs with three, four and five stars on the bottle, indicating the age of the cognac spirit from which the cognac is made.

So cognac *** prepared from cognac spirits aged for at least 3 years, cognac strength - 40 vol.%, sugar content - 1.5%;

Cognac **** - aged for at least 4 years, 40 vol.%; 1.5% respectively;

Cognac ***** - at least 5 years, 42 vol.%; 1.5% respectively.

TO vintage include cognacs of the KV, KVVK and KS groups.

Aged cognac KV is prepared from cognac spirits aged for 6-7 years, they have a strength of 42 vol.% and contain 1.2% sugar;

Top quality aged cognac– from those aged 8-10 years, 43-45 vol.% and 0.7-3.0%, respectively;

Old cognac prepared from selected cognac spirits aged over 10 years, 45, 50, 57 vol.% and 0.7%, respectively.

Drinks made from unaged cognac spirit are called cognac drinks

Obtaining raw cognac alcohol..

With simple distillation of wine materials containing 8-10 vol.% alcohol, raw cognac alcohol with a strength of 20-35 vol.% and cognac stillage are obtained. In addition, at the end of the distillation, a fraction of fragrant waters is released. The distillation takes 6-8 hours. Raw cognac alcohol produces from 25 to 35% of the volume of wine taken for distillation.

Raw alcohol obtained from the distillation of cognac wine materials with a strength of 20-35 vol.% centrifugal pump is pumped into a collection tank, and stillage is sent for disposal.

Then the raw cognac spirit from the collection is sent for secondary distillation, during which the following is selected:

head(selected separately and sent for rectification),

average cognac alcohol (grade 1 has a strength of 62-70 vol.%, its yield is 30-35% of the volume of raw alcohol loaded),

end strap(distilled a second time, also divided into 3 fractions, the middle of which is called grade 11 cognac alcohol, it is obtained in an amount of 20-25% of the distilled liquid, it is sent for aging for ordinary cognacs, and the head and tail ends are sent for rectification).

The difference in the production of ethyl and cognac alcohol is that when producing rectified alcohol, they strive to completely clean it of volatile impurities. When producing cognac spirits, on the contrary, measures are taken to preserve the components of the end products - esters and acids, since during aging they contribute to the development of the special, characteristic aroma and taste of cognac.

Aging of cognac spirits. After sorting, analysis and equalization cognac spirits are sent first for short-term excerpts into new oak barrels, and then for many years of aging (aging) in old oak barrels, which are installed in rows or tiers according to the year of distillation in rooms with a temperature of 15-20 ° C and a relative humidity of 75-85%.

Alcohols that are intended for the production of vintage cognacs are subjected to two egalizations during aging: the first - when setting for aging and the second - after 5 years of aging.

The aging period of cognac spirits is calculated by the year of distillation.

Aging is continued until the strength of cognac alcohol decreases to 50 vol.%. After this, the alcohol is poured into bottles and stored there until blending.

Preparation of cognacs.

The strength of aged cognac spirits is always higher than the strength of produced cognacs (40-45 vol.%). To reduce the strength, alcohols are diluted with specially prepared alcoholized waters. Cognac spirits cannot be diluted with water, as they lose the achieved aroma and taste.

Alcoholized waters are prepared by diluting cognac alcohol with distilled or softened tap water.

To soften the taste and give cognacs a little sweetness, add sugar syrup, diluted with cognac alcohol aged for at least 5 years to bring its strength to 30-35% by volume, store it in oak barrels for at least a year before use. After aging, the syrup is clarified.

The cognac obtained by blending cognac spirit, distilled water and sugar syrup is kept in bottles or tanks for up to 6 months to assimilate the alcohol and other components. During this period, to clarify and improve the taste, it is subjected to processing: fining, treatment with yellow blood salt, cooling to minus 10 ° C and holding for up to 10 days in a refrigerator (at minus 15 - minus 20 ° C - up to 5 days) and filtering.

Aged and processed cognac is sent to the expedition in barrels, or bottled in special bottles using dosing machines, and the bottles are labeled.

Preparation of cognac drinks. To make cognac drinks, young cognac spirit or a ready-made blend is infused or passed in a stream through oak wood, pre-treated in a special way. The blend mixture is prepared from young cognac alcohol, distilled or softened water. Preparation of the drink comes down to extracting the wood components with a blended mixture. Extraction is carried out at 20-25 °C for 15-20 days. Further processing of the drink consists of clarification by filtration.

Production of Calvados

Calvados is a strong alcoholic drink with a specific aroma and taste, prepared from apple alcohol obtained by distillation of fermented natural apple juice and aged in oak barrels or tanks with oak staves.

Depending on the quality and aging time of the alcohol, Calvados is produced in two types: ordinary(from alcohol aged for at least 3 years) and vintage(at least 5 years), strength 42, vintage – 45 vol.%.

Main stages of production:

preparing apple juice (apples are used in autumn-winter varieties with a sugar content of at least 7% and an acidity of 5-7 g/l, they are sorted, washed, crushed into 2-3 mm chips, pressed; the juice is filtered);

wort fermentation (fermented with cultural yeast of the Yablochnaya-17 or Yakubovsky races in oak bottles or enamel tanks at 20-25 ° C, clarified);

distillation of apple mash (in the same way as cognac spirits, the head fraction is sent for rectification, the middle fraction is sent to raw Calvados alcohol, and the end fraction is added to the raw alcohol and re-distilled; the strength of apple alcohol is 62-70 vol.%),

apple alcohol extract (freshly distilled apple spirits are sorted by quality, aged, egalized and, for aging for at least 3 years, poured into oak barrels filled with oak shavings; stored at 15-25 ° C and humidity 75-85%; during the aging period, oxygen is introduced into the alcohol,

blending and blending processing (Calvados is prepared by blending aged apple alcohol, sugar syrup, citric acid, softened water and sugar coloring.

The mixture is stirred, heated to 50 °C and kept for 2 days. Then the blend is cooled, coated with gelatin to clarify, filtered and sent to rest for 3 to 5 months. The finished Calvados is bottled.

Rum production.

Rum is a strong alcoholic drink with a pleasant aroma, prepared from rum alcohol obtained from sugar cane or cane molasses and containing such specific components as esters of acetic, butyric, valeric, caproic, heptyl and other acids, as well as rum oil. As a drink, it is rarely consumed in its pure form; in most cases, rum is used for the preparation of grog, liqueurs, cocktails and punches, as well as in the production of ice cream and confectionery.

Distinguish natural rum (obtained by diluting rum alcohol with water to a certain strength), rum blends (prepared from a mixture ethyl alcohol and rum) and artificial rum (an alcoholic drink to which various esters or other substances are added to give taste qualities. The main raw material for the production of rum is molasses from cane and sugar factories, containing 45-60% fermentable sugar.

Rum production technology includes the following operations:

wort preparation; wort fermentation (pure yeast cultures are spent for 4 days at 25-27 °C and pH 5.5-5.8 in closed fermenters with cooling coils; butyric acid bacteria are added during the production of Jamaican rum);

distillation of rum mash (mature rum mash with a strength of 6-7% and a sugar content of 12-14% is separated to separate the yeast; during distillation, the head and tail fractions are accumulated, diluted with water to 20 vol.% and distilled a second time, the middle fraction is added to rum alcohol. The alcohol has a strength about 60 vol.%, it is aged in oak barrels;

aging and maturation of rum (barrels of rum are stored at 20-30 °C and humidity 75-80% for 4 to 5 years. Aged rum is drained from barrels, diluted with distilled aerated water to a strength of 45 vol.%, tinted, filtered and bottled.

Whiskey production

Whiskey - an aromatic alcoholic drink with a strength of 40-45 vol.%, obtained by distilling fermented wort from grain raw materials, followed by long-term aging of raw alcohol in oak barrels, charred inside. The main raw materials for making whiskey are rye, corn, and barley (barley is used in the form of malt). Accordingly, whiskey is distinguished: rye, corn and mixed.

Main stages of the technological process : Wort preparation- preparation and heat treatment of the batch, saccharification and cooling of the boiled molasses, to enrich the wort with organic acids and other substances that enhance the aroma of raw alcohol, the wort is diluted with chilled stillage to a dry matter content of 11-13 wt.% and fermented with yeast of race X or M.

Wort fermentation carried out at 30 °C in hermetically sealed fermentation devices with coils for 72 hours until the brew strength is 7.5-8 vol.%.

Distillation of mature mash carried out on a continuous apparatus, alcohol is selected with a strength of 65-70 vol.%.

Exposure (aging). Raw alcohol is diluted with distilled water to a strength of 50 vol.%, poured into oak barrels with a capacity of up to 200 liters for aging and aged for at least 4 years at 18-23 ° C and humidity 75-80%. Before being released for sale, whiskey is blended, in which whiskey of different aging periods is mixed with an aqueous solution of highly purified rectified alcohol and adjusted with distilled water to a strength of 45 vol.%.

To improve the quality of whiskey, it is allowed to add sugar, wines, juices, and extracts to the blend. After aging the blend for a day, the whiskey is filtered and bottled