Spirits, Beer, Sake and Other Beverages
Distillation and spirits
Pot stills are batch-distilled and retain flavour; column stills are continuous and produce lighter, higher-proof spirit. US proof is twice the alcohol by volume. Whisky families: Scotch (malt or grain, aged in oak at least three years), Irish (often triple distilled), Bourbon (at least 51% corn, new charred oak), rye, and Tennessee whiskey. Brandy includes Cognac (Ugni Blanc, double pot distillation, VS/VSOP/XO age tiers) and Armagnac (often column-distilled). Rum comes from sugarcane; tequila from blue agave (51% minimum, or 100% agave); mezcal is smoke-forward; gin is juniper-led; vodka is neutral; liqueurs are sweetened; vermouth is aromatized and fortified.
Beer
Beer is built from malt, hops, water, and yeast. Ales ferment warm with top-fermenting yeast; lagers ferment cool with bottom-fermenting yeast. Know the difference between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, and the meaning of IBU and ABV. Style families include pilsner, pale ale, IPA, stout, wheat beer, and lambic.
Sake
Sake is brewed like beer from rice, water, koji, and yeast. The polishing ratio drives the grade: ginjo is 60% or less remaining, daiginjo 50% or less. Junmai means no added brewing alcohol; honjozo allows a small amount. Sake may be served chilled or gently warmed.
Traps
Bourbon need not come from Kentucky. Scotch must be aged in oak, but not necessarily new oak. “Sake is rice wine” is a simplification; it is brewed. Tequila is not necessarily 100% agave.
Worked example
A sake polished to 45% remaining with no added alcohol is Junmai Daiginjo. Polishing, not sweetness, is the key deduction.