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Why are distilled drinks called spirits?

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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.

The term "spirits" for distilled alcoholic beverages originates from the distillation process itself. When a fermented liquid—such as beer or wine—is heated, the alcohol vaporizes before the water. Early distillers viewed this vapor as the "spirit" or the purest, most vital essence of the original liquid, which was then condensed back into a concentrated form.1

During the Middle Ages, this concentrated alcohol was often called aqua vitae, or "water of life." Alchemists and physicians of the era frequently described the process as capturing the "soul" of the drink, reflecting the mystical associations attributed to the substance at the time. Over the centuries, this terminology became the standard way to refer to distilled products like whiskey, brandy, rum, gin, and vodka, preserving the historical belief that the distilled product represented the essential spirit of the fermented base.1