Spirit Style Guide

Spirit Style Guide

The Spirit Style guide is intended to develop a common language for distillers. It should serve as a guide to distillers so that everyone, when speaking about a specific style of spirit, means the same thing. Since we cannot openly discuss our hobby what we call our spirits varies. By developing a Spirit Style Guide we can recognize traditional spirits and then begin to expand and experiment. Currently in the US we have the TTB's Standards of Identity (27 CFR 5.22). The SOIs cover commercial spirits and only a small number of categories/classes. This guide will cover a greater number of spirits and derivatives.

As an example here is the Beer Style guide

Base Spirit Categories

Grain Based Spirits

Any spirit derived from grains including barley, corn, wheat, oats. This category include Whiskey and whiskey subtypes: Bourbon, Rye, Scotch.

Sugar Based Spirits

This covers Sugar Cane, Sugar Beet, or Sorghum derived spirits. This category includes Rum and its derivatives.

Sugarhead

A specific subcategory of Sugar based spirits. A spirits that uses refined sugar as a fermentation base and will have a flavoring agent added. See Sugarheads

Fruit Based Spirit

Any spirit derived from fruits or fruit pomace. This category includes brandy and marc.

Flavored Spirit

Any spirit that uses a neutral or other spirit as a base. This category is used for flavored spirits that have no specific base and any spirit can be used. It can include vapor infusions, macerations, or tinctures. This includes Gin, flavored vodkas, limoncello, Amari, krauterlikor.

Hybrid Spirit

A spirit that has more than one fermentation source. This category include Sweet Feed whiskey.

Other

A spirit that uses a fermentation source other than any of the above. This includes potatoes, Citrus Molasses, or other non-traditional fermentation bases. When using this category please state the fermentation source in parentheses after Other. e.g. Other (Potatoes), Other (Tamarind).

Spirit Styles

American Whiskey

Category: Grain Based Spirit

Description: A lightly flavored all grain spirit.

Primary use: Straight or mixer

Bottled ABV: 40% to 50%

Wash: There is no distinct grain bill other than it must be grain based.

Color: Varies from clear to light amber.

Age: Aging is expected.

Clarity: Very clear.

Aroma: Light graininess.

Flavor: Light to medium grain, light to medium oak, low ester profile.

Post Distillation Flavoring: None

London Dry Gin

Category: Flavored Neutral Spirit

Description: A macerated or vapor infused gin with little or no sugar added.

Primary use: Mixer

Bottled ABV: 40% to 50%

Wash: Any neutral spirit, usually GNS

Color: This style has no traditional color so any color is acceptable.

Age: This style is generally not aged.

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Light to heavy juniper forward with floral, herbal or citrus flavors.

Flavor: Light to heavy juniper forward with floral, herbal or citrus flavors.

Post Distillation Flavoring: Very little sugar can be added. It should not be sweet. No post distillation flavors can be added.

Puerto Rican Rum

Category: Sugar based Spirit

Description: A sugarcane based Rum. Lighter in character than other Rums.

Primary use: Mixer

Bottled ABV: 40% to 75.5%

Wash: Any sugar derived fermentation with at least a fair portion as molasses.

Color: Clear or amber if aged.

Age: This style is generally not aged.

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Light molasses character.

Flavor: Very light molasses character.

Post Distillation Flavoring: No post distillation flavorings can be added. A moderate amount of sugar can be added. It should not be sweet but more neutral or dry.