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What is a rectified spirit?

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Last updated date: 21st Aug 2024
Total views: 350.4k
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Answer
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Hint: Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol, or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is a highly concentrated ethanol that has been refined through the process of rectification, which involves repeated distillation. Denatured alcohol or denatured rectified spirit may be sold as "rectified spirit" in some countries.

Complete answer:
In the European Union, it must contain at least \[55\] percent alcohol by volume \[\left( {ABV} \right){\text{ }}\left( {110{\text{ }}US{\text{ }}proof} \right)\] in its undiluted form. When made with traditional distillation methods, the rectified spirit has a practical purity limit of 95 percent ABV (\[95.6\]percent by mass), as a mixture of ethanol and water forms a minimum-boiling azeotrope at this concentration. Rectified spirit is typically distilled at \[96-96.5\,\% \] percent ABV in continuous multi-column stills and diluted as needed.
Grain, corn, grapes, sugar beets, sugarcane, tubers, and other fermented plant components can all be used to make neutral spirits. Large amounts of neutral alcohol are produced from wine in particular. "Grain neutral spirit" or "vinous alcohol" refers to a spirit created from grains, whereas "grape neutral spirit" or "vinous alcohol" refers to a spirit manufactured from grapes. GNS or NGS are typical abbreviations for these terms.

Note:
Blended whiskey, cut brandy, some liqueurs, and some bitters are all made with neutral spirits. As a consumer product, it's nearly always blended with other liquids to make drinks like alcoholic punch or Jello shots, and it's occasionally substituted for vodka or rum in cocktails. It's also used to make homemade liqueurs like limoncello and cassis, as well as in cooking, where the high alcohol content functions as a solvent to extract flavours.