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Which types of distilled spirits are usually unaged?
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distilled spirit
The fermentation and distillation process for producing whiskey. The production of whiskey begins with grinding grain into a meal, which is cooked. Malt is introduced to the meal, which results in mash that is cooled and pumped into a fermenter, where yeast is added. The fermented mixture is heated in a still, where the heat vaporizes the alcohol. The alcohol vapours are caught, cooled, condensed, and drawn off as clean, new whiskey. This liquid is stored in a cistern room, and water is added to lower the proof (absolute alcohol content) before the whiskey is placed in new charred oak barrels for aging and later bottling.
Distilled spirits are classified as either aged or unaged based on whether they undergo a period of storage in containers (typically wood) to develop maturity. While many spirits like whiskey, as well as most rums and brandies, are aged to allow for chemical changes and flavor extraction, several types are typically bottled without this process.1
The following distilled spirits are usually unaged:
- Vodka: Produced by purifying neutral spirits and reducing them with water, vodka is bottled without aging to maintain its neutral character.12
- Gin: Most gins are unaged, though some producers may age them to impart a pale-golden color.13
- Moonshine: Generally categorized as an unaged spirit.1
- Neutral spirits: Often used in a variety of products, these are typically unaged.1
- Certain rums and brandies: While most of these spirits are aged, some specific varieties are produced as unaged products.1