Processing step for Brandy

1. PROCESSING OF BRANDY
A.Reni
Assistant Professor
Department of Food Processing and Preservation Technology
Faculty of Engineering
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher
Education for Women
Coimbatore-641108

2. BRANDY
•Brandy is the spirit resulting from
distillation of a fermented,
fruit-based liquid, typically
grape wine.
•Brandy generally
contains 35%–60% alcohol
by volume and is typically
taken as an after-dinner drink.
Brandy can also be made from
fermented fruit (other
than grapes) and from pomace.

3. • Brandy from brandywine, derived from
Dutch brandewijn also called as
"burnt wine".
• The name is apt as most
brandies are made by
applying heat, originally from
open flames, to wine.

4. HOW BRANDY IS MADE
• Brandies are easy to manufacture. A fermented liquid is boiled
at a temperature between the boiling point of ethyl alcohol and
the boiling point of water.
• Because alcohol has a lower boiling point (172°F, 78°C) than
water (212'F, 100°C), it can be boiled off while the water
portion of the wine remains in the still.
• The resulting vapors are collected and cooled.
• The cooled vapors contain most of the alcohol from the original
liquid along with some of its water.

5. • To drive out more of the water, always
saving the alcohol, the distillation process
can be repeated several times depending
on the alcohol content desired.
• This process is used to produce
both fine and mass-produced
brandy, though the final products
are dramatically different.
• Heating a liquid to separate
components with different
boiling points is called heat distillation.

6. • While brandies are usually made from wine or other fermented
fruit juices, it can be distilled from any liquid that contains
sugar.
• The low-boiling point liquids distilled from wine include almost all
of the alcohol, a small amount of water, and many of the wine's
organic chemicals.
• It is these chemicals that give brandy its taste and aroma.

7. ORIGIN AND HISTORY

8. ORIGIN AND HISTORY
Back in the seventeenth century the merchants began to distil it
before setting sail
• preserve the quality of wine over a long journey by sea.
• transport more of it at one time.
• It seems the process evolved somewhat by accident (like
penicillin, Carvel ice cream, champagne and other wonders). It
was a means to save space in the ship's hold.
• Wines were boiled to reduce their volume by evaporation and
then, reconstituted with water.

9. • Almost every people have their own national brandy, many of
which are not made from wine:
• grappa in Italy is made from grape skins
• slivivitz in Poland is made from plums
• shochu in Japan is made from rice
• Bourbon in the United States is made from corn.
• It is universally acknowledged that the finest brandies are the
French cognacs that are distilled from wine.

10. RAW MATERIALS FOR THE
BRANDY PRODUCTION

11. • The raw materials used in brandy production are
liquids that contain any form of sugar.
• French brandies are made from the wine of the St.
Émillion, Colombard (or Folle Blanche) grapes.
• However, anything that will ferment can be distilled
and turned into a brandy.
• Grapes, apples, blackberries, sugar cane, honey, milk,
rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, and rye are all commonly
fermented and distilled.

12. • Heat, used to warm the stills, is the other main raw
material required for brandy production.
• Grapes with less than 8% alcohol are too pale to
produce the desired aroma; those with more than 9%
possess an inadequate concentration.
• The wooden barrels, or casks, in which the cognac
ages are an essential element in the process.

13. • Tannin and vanillin present in the wood lend
their properties to the cognac.
• Caramel may be added to even out color
variations. Sugar syrup may be added to
sweeten and enrich less mature brandies.

14. • Brandy is of two types based on the distillation
process:
• FINE BRANDY-small batches in potstills and double
distillation is done.
• MASS PRODUCED BRANDY-fractional distillation in
column stills.

15. DISTILLATION
• What is distillation?
• Distillation is a method of separating mixtures
based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling
liquid mixture.
• Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical
separation process, and not a chemical reaction.

16. • By separating the alcohol from the wine, other
alcoholic beverages can be prepared which contain a
higher alcohol content than wine.
• This separation is affected by the process known as
distillation.

17. • It involves the conversation of
sugar in fruit juice into alcohol
and carbon dioxide by the action
of yeast. The species of yeast
that is used to ferment grape
juice into wine is Saccharomyces
cerevisiae.
• The fermentation of grape sugar
can be depicted by the equation
• C6H1206 + Zymase = 2C2H5OH +
2CO2

18. • The reaction will proceed until the alcohol content of
the fermentation mixture rises to a toxic level and
poisons the yeast.
• At this point a solution is present which contains
sugar, alcohol, and water is commonly called wine. (If
the carbon dioxide is not allowed to escape, the
solution is called champagne.)

19. • The object of distillation is the preparation of alcohol
or pure spirits, which is obtained from brandy, rum,
arrack and whiskey, prepared from wine, sugar, rice
and malt.

20. FINE BRANDY
• Fine brandies are always made
in small batches using pot stills. A pot
still is simply a large pot, usually made
out of copper, with a bulbous top.
• The pot still is heated to the point
where the fermented liquid reaches
the boiling point of alcohol.

21. FINE BRANDY IN POTSTILLS

22.  Each still holds approximately 660 gallons, or the
equivalent of 3,000 bottles.
 The kilns are heated to a temperature range between
173°F (78.3°C) and 212°F (100°C) until the alcohol
vaporizes and separates from the rest of the liquid.
The alcohol vapors, which contain a large amount of
water vapor, rise in the still into the bulbous top.

23. TYPES OF BRANDY

24. GRAPE BRANDY
• Grape brandy is produced by the
distillation of fermented grape juice.
• Cognac comes from the Cognac
region in France
and is double distilled using pot stills.
• Armagnac is made from grapes of
the Armagnac region in
Southwest France.
• It is single continuous
distilled in a copper stills
and is aged in oaken casks

25. COGNAC
•Cognac is the best known type of Brandy in the world,
a benchmark by which most other Brandies are judged.
•The primary grapes used in making Cognac are Ugni
Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard.
•The wines made from these grapes are thin, tart, and
low in alcohol; poor characteristics for table wines, but
oddly enough, perfect for making Brandy.

26. ARMAGNAC
• Armagnac is the oldest type of Brandy in
France, with documented references to
distillation dating back to the
early 15th century.
• The resulting brandy has a rustic,
assertive character and aroma
that requires additional
cask aging to mellow it out.

27. POMACE BRANDY
• Pomace brandy is produced from
fermented grape pulp,seeds, and
stems that remain after the
grapes are pressed for their juice.
• After the grapes are harvested,
Winemakers give a certain
amount of grape pomace to the
regional distillery.
• The pomace is fermented and heated
to obtain an alcohol vapour,
then chilled so that the vapour
transforms into pure alcohol.

28. FRUIT BRANDY
• Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits
other than grapes.
• Apple, plum, peach, cherry, raspberry,
blackberry, and apricot
are the most commonly
used fruit.
• Fruit brandy is usually
clear, 80 to 90 proof,
and usually drunk chilled or over ice.

29. • Fruit brandies can be
coloured or colourless.
• Apple brandy and plum
brandy, for instance, are
normally aged in oak barrels
to add colour and additional
flavour and aroma from the
wood itself.

30. PRODUCTION PROCESS

31. • Cognac, a type of brandy, is considered to be one of
the finest, if not the finest, of the spirits.
• Cognac is some-times called "burnt wine" because the
wine is subjected to a double heating

32. FLOWSHEET FOR
BRANDYPRODUCTION
PRESSING OF GRAPES
FERMENTATION OF GRAPE JUICE
GRAPE WINE
FIRST DISTILLATION
SECOND DISTILLATION

33. PRODUCTION OF COGNAC
CASKING
AGEING
BLENDING
BOTTLING
LABELLING
STORAGE

34. GRAPE PRESSING
• The grapes are
pressed and the
juice is allowed to
ferment naturally.
• No sugar or sulfure
dioxide is added.

35. DOUBLE DISTILLATION POT
STILL

36. • HEARTH-SOURCE OF HEAT
• BOILER-POSITIONED OVER HEARTH
• COWL-Cu,OLIVE OR ONION SHAPED
• COOLER OR A CONDENSOR

37. FIRST DISTILLATION
• In the first stage, the first distillate is obtained,
known as the ‘brouillis,’ which contains an alcohol level
of 28% to 32% volume.
• The ‘brouillis’ (which is a cloudy liquid) is obtained by
boiling the unfiltered wine, and then having the
alcoholic vapors pass through the swan neck to finally
condense when they come in contact with the cool air
in the coolant or ‘the pipe.’
• The entire first heating, or the first ‘chauffe’ lasts
between 8 and 10 hours.

38. SECOND DISTILLATION
• During the second stage, the ‘brouillis’ is returned back to the
boiler for a second heating known as the ‘la bonne chauffe.’
• It is during this second heating that the eau-de-vie, or the
spirit, is finally extracted from the liquid.
• Here, the distiller performs a delicate process called ‘cutting’ by
separating the ‘heart’ from the ‘heads’ and the ‘tails.’
• During the process, the vapors that arrive first (the heads)
have too high of an alcohol content, and so they are cut off and
separated from the rest of the liquid.

39. • The next batch of liquid is the ‘heart,’ or a colorless liquid with a
70% alcohol per volume.
• The great task of the distiller is to keep only the heart of the
second distillation, which ensures that only the purest spirit will
be used to make Cognac.
• The ‘tails’ are then cut off as well because their alcohol content
is too small.
• Ultimately, the heads and the tails will be ‘redistilled’ in a
subsequent batch. The entire process lasts approximately 12
hours.

40. WHY DOUBLE DISTILLATION IS
DONE?
• Most fine brandy makers double distill their
brandy, meaning they concentrate the alcohol twice.
• The cooled vapors contain most of the alcohol from
the original liquid along with some of its water.
• To drive out more of the water, always saving the
alcohol, the distillation process can be repeated
several times depending on the alcohol content
desired.
• It takes about 9 gal (34 1) of wine to make I gal
(3.8 1) of brandy.

41. • After the first distillation, which takes about eight
hours, 3,500 gal (13,249 1) of wine have been
converted to about 1,200 gal (4,542 1) of
concentrated liquid (not yet brandy) with an alcohol
content of 26-32%.
• The French limit the second distillation (la bonne
chauffe) to batches of 660 gal (2,498 1).

42. • The product of the second distillation has an
alcohol content of around 72%.
• The higher the alcohol content the more neutral
(tasteless) the brandy will be.
• The lower the alcohol content, the more of the
underlying flavors will remain in the brandy, but
there is a much greater chance that off flavors will
also make their way into the final product.

43. MASS PRODUCED BRANDY
Mass-produced brandies are made via fractional distillation in
column stills.
Column stills are sometimes called continuous stills as raw
material is continuously poured into the top while the final
product and wastes continuously come out of the side and
bottom.

44. COLUMN STILLS

45. • It is made up of 3 parts : the boiler, the column which
is referred to as the exhausting column which has 12
or 15 plates and the concentrating column which is
usually made up of 8 plates.
• The cider enters the first column through the top.
• It then passes downwards from plate to plate.

46. • Due to the heat, the more volatile compounds (water
and esters) evaporate.
• The water vapour given off from the cider moves
upwards and is enriched as it bubbles through the
cider with the volatile compounds : alcohol, esters and
flavours.

47. • It is then concentrated in the smallest column which
produces brandy directly at 72% maximum.
• The column still must be fitted with 3 valves which
enable the separation of the "heads" and "tails" and it
must have a maximum flow rate of 250 hl of cider per
24 hours.

48. CASKING

49. • After distillation, it is immediately placed in a
cask containing about 500 liters (over 100
gallons).
• It is kept in these casks until it is ready for
sale.
• Care must be taken in all cases, however, not
to use a cask which is moldy or decayed in any
way .

50. • Generally speaking, the brandy is first stored in
newer casks for periods between one and two years.
• The amount of time is dependent on the level of
tannin that is desired.
• Tannin is strongest in new oak, so the brandy must
possess enough character to absorb large amounts of
tannin

52. AGEING
• Maturing is very important for a good Cognac, the slow ageing
in oak casks.
• An eau-de-vie can only become Cognac after it has slowly
matured in oak casks.
• The used wood for those barrels is selected because of its
ability to transfer certain aromas to the spirit.
• The contact between oak and spirit gives the nice colour
and aroma

53. The tannin-based substances in the wood give it its
natural colour and, through continual reactions
between the young brandy and the wood, combined
with the oxidating effect of the air in the cellars, the
Cognac acquires all of its fragrance and fullness.

54. • Cognac will lose some of its alcoholic content due to
evaporation (about 3%).
• This evaporation leaves a dark hallow over the walls
of the cellar, which has been dubbed The Angels’
Share.

55. BLENDING
• The last step in the process
truly determines a particular
Cognac’s ultimate taste,
aroma, body, and even label.
• It is at this point that
the Master Blender, or the
person with a wealth of
experience in charge
of the maturing process,
determines which Cognacs will
be mixed in order to create the
ultimate flavor.

56. WHEN DOES BLENDING TAKE PLACE?
When the distillate is at least three years old ,it is
pumped from the vats,assessed and classified
according to fullness,balance,softness of taste and
intensity of flavor.

57. BOTTLING AND LABELLING
• Pot stilled brandies are
bottled at a minimum
alcohol strength of 38% .
• Blended brandies
intended for exports
are bottled at 40%
alcohol strength.
• The bottles in which
cognac is packaged
are a source of
great pride to each company.

58. LABELLING SYSTEMS

59. STORAGE
Brandy should be stored at room
temperature.
Theoretically once bottled the product
should not undergo any changes.
However once opened ,it is advisable
for it to be consumed within sixmonths
as the exposure of the liquid to the
atmosphere can introduce subtle
changes to the aroma and taste.

60. QUALITY CONTROL
• The quality control process for fine brandies involves trained
tasters with years of experience sampling brandy.
• A large cognac house might have 10,000 barrels of brandy in its
cellars, each of which must be tasted annually.
• The tasters usually "taste" each of the barrels at least once a
year to assess how it is aging and to evaluate it for its blending
qualities.
• Brandies that pick up off-flavors during distillation are
discarded.

61. Does older brandy taste better
than newer brandy?
• Generally, older brandy does taste better than young
brandy because the harsh alcohol edges have been
rounded off, producing a more mellow, rich, caramel,
and vanilla like flavor.
• For this reason some of the really old brandies and
cognacs can sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle.

62. • distilled spirits do not spoil, they also do not age.
When you hear about "20 year old scotch" that means
it was aged in a cask or barrel 20 years before
bottling.
• They will age in a barrel or cask, but once bottled
they are done.
• Liquers have probably separated and the sugar
crystallized, the brandy will be the same as a bottle
of the same purchased today.

63. CONCLUSION
• Each country, each region
and even each distillery
strives to achieve a
unique style.
• The better the brandy,
the stronger the benefits.
• The different varieties
and flavors, make brandy
definitely worth a taste.

64. REFERENCE
• http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Cognac.html#ixzz0z85Ru39d
• http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=DISTILLATION+OF+BRANDY
&meta=&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
• http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=52680757
• http://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&q=BRANDY%20RESEARCH%2
0ARTICLES&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/brandy.aspx
• http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/BOS_BRI/BRANDY.html
• http://www.foodreference.com/html/cfoodbeveragenews.html

65. Cognac_pot_still_DSC04032.JPG

66. a spirit safe (i.e. padlocked apparatus at
the end of the pot still enabling the distiller
to cut off the "heads" and "tails" of
distillation; it is padlocked for excise
reasons)

67. • Previous to distilling, the process of brewing and
fermentation are necessary.
• The distiller, however, need not take the precautions
of the brewer or wine-maker in moderating his
fermentations so as to secure the good flavor and
keeping qualities of the product.
• His object is to get as thorough a fermentation, and
therefore as much alcohol, as possible. Hence large
quantities of yeast are used.