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 any previously distilled spirit as a base. The most common bases are neutral grain spirit (NGS), rum, or brandy. It can include vapor infusions, macerations, or tinctures. This includes Gin, flavored vodkas, limoncello, Amari, Krauterlikor. There are some variations that do add flavoring during fermentation like Genever Gin.

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

List to work on:

Bourbon

Corn

Rum variants

Gin variants

Raki/Ouzo/Sambuca

Aquavite

Mezcal

Tequila

Grappa

Poitín

Absinthe

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 100% grain based.

Cuts: Hearts cut with little heads or tails.

Age: Aging is expected.

Color: Varies from clear to light amber.

Clarity: Very clear.

Aroma: Light graininess.

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

Post Distillation Flavoring: None

Rye Whiskey

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A medium to strongly flavored Grain whiskey. The mash bill should contain at least 51% Rye

Cuts: Wider than American Whiskey.

Primary use: Mostly Straight

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 51% to 100% Rye with other grains filling in the rest of the grain bill. Barley and wheat are very common with Rye.

Age: Aged in new barrels. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Earthy, spicy, rye

Flavor: Strong Rye, earthy, spicy

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Rye Whiskey - Monongahela (Mon) or Pennsylvania Rye

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A strongly flavored Grain whiskey. The mash bill should contain at 80% or more Rye. Mon Rye is considered the strongest flavored whiskey. Mon Rye should be a punch in the face. It isn't for the timid.

Cuts: Wide, a fair amount of heads/tails.

Primary use: Straight or a mixer

Bottled ABV: 40-65% - Cask strength is best.

Wash: 80% to 100% Rye with the rest usually Barley to keep the strength of flavor or Wheat or Corn to temper it.

Age: Aged in new barrels. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Strong earthy, very spicy, strong rye bite

Flavor: Strong earthy, very spicy, strong rye bite

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Rye Whiskey - Maryland Rye

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A medium to strongly flavored Grain whiskey. The mash bill should contain at least 51% Rye. Maryland Rye is a high Rye whiskey that is tempered down from Mon Rye usually with Wheat or Corn. Maryland Rye should feel like a good slap to the face.

Cuts: Wider than American Whiskey but not as much as Mon Rye

Primary use: Straight or as a mixer

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 51% to 100% Rye with Wheat or Corn filling in the rest.

Age: Aged in new barrels. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Medium to heavy earthy, spicy, rye

Flavor: Strong Rye, earthy, spicy

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Single Malt Whiskey

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A medium to strongly flavored 100% malted barley whiskey.

Cuts: Vary but they are wider than American Whiskey.

Primary use: Mostly drunk straight.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 100% malted barley

Age: Can be aged in new or used barrels, typically ex-bourbon. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Little to heavy peat, light to heavy esters

Flavor: Little to heavy peat, oak flavor based on age

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Scotch Style Whiskey - Speyside

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A strongly flavored, none to medium peated, single malt whiskey.

Cuts: Slightly wider than American Whiskey.

Primary use: Mostly drunk straight.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 100% malted barley

Age: Can be aged in new or used barrels, typically ex-bourbon or ex-sherry barrels. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: None to medium peat, light to heavy esters

Flavor: None to medium peat, light to heavy esters, oak flavor based on age in barrel. Speysides are the lightest flavored Single Malts. They tend to be sweeter than other Single Malts due to addition of wine contributions from barrels.

Post Distillation Flavoring: None or some sherry or other wine.

Scotch Style Whiskey - Highland

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A strongly flavored, light to medium peated, single malt whiskey.

Cuts: Highland styles tend to have very wide cuts.

Primary use: Mostly drunk straight.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 100% malted barley

Age: Can be aged in new or used barrels, typically ex-bourbon. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Light to heavy peat, light esters, complex and earthy

Flavor: Light to heavy peat, light esters, complex and earthy, oak flavor based on age in barrel

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Scotch Style Whiskey - Lowland

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A medium flavored, no to lightly peated, single malt whiskey. Triple distillation is common, similar to an Irish style.

Cuts: Lowland styles have wide cuts, but narrow than other Scottish styles.

Primary use: Straight or as a mixer

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 100% malted barley

Age: Can be aged in new or used barrels, typically ex-bourbon. The wider the cuts the longer it will need aging.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: No to Light peat, little esters.

Flavor: No to Light peat, light esters, oak flavor based on age in barrel

Post Distillation Flavoring: None.

Scotch Style Whiskey - Islay

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A strongly flavored, medium to forest fire heavily peated, single malt whiskey.

Cuts: Islay cuts are a mix of hearts/tails for Laphroaig and very wide for a Lagavulin style.

Primary use: Mostly drunk straight.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: 100% malted barley

Age: Aged in used barrels for a long time, mostly ex-bourbon and some ex-sherry. Islay styles tend to need longer aging as the smoke aroma/flavor presents strongest in the tails and tails need a while to age out.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Medium to heavy peat, light to heavy esters

Flavor: Medium to heavy peat, leathery, oak flavor based on age in barrel.

Post Distillation Flavoring: None or some sherries or other wines.

Irish Style Whiskey

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: A mildly flavored, no to medium peat, whiskey. If pot distilled it is common to triple distill. Continuous Column stills are common, including blends of the two.

Cuts: Mostly hearts, distilled to a high ABV to create a lighter spirit.

Primary use: Straight or a mixer.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: A mixture of grains, but usually containing a fair amount of unmalted grains.

Age: Aged in ex-bourbon. Rarely new barrels.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Medium to heavy peat, light to heavy esters

Flavor: Medium to heavy peat, leathery, oak flavor based on age in barrel.

Post Distillation Flavoring: None or some sherries or other wines.

Irish Style Whiskey - Poitín

Category: Grain Based Spirits

Description: AKA Irish moonshine. A strongly flavored, no to medium peat, whiskey.

Cuts: Similar to Scotch or moonshine, somewhat wide.

Primary use: Mostly drunk straight.

Bottled ABV: 40-65%

Wash: A mixture of grains, but usually containing a fair amount of unmalted grains. Some recipes can vary wildly to include other than just grains.

Age: Aged in new or ex-bourbon barrels.

Color: medium to dark amber

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Medium to heavy peat, light to heavy esters

Flavor: Medium to heavy peat, leathery, oak flavor based on age in barrel.

Post Distillation Flavoring: None or some sherries or other wines.

London Dry Gin

Category: Flavored Spirit

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

Cuts: Typically redistilling neutral cuts are very wide as there are little head/tails left. With the botanicals it will still have a short foreshots/heads cut of some nasty stuff that should be removed.

Primary use: Mixer

Bottled ABV: 40% to 50%

Wash: Any neutral spirit, usually GNS

Age: This style is generally not aged.

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

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.

Cuts: Fairly strict hearts cut.

Primary use: Mixer

Bottled ABV: 40% to 75.5%

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

Age: This style is generally not aged.

Color: Clear or amber if 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.

Brandy

Category: Fruit based Spirit

Description: Brandy is the distilled wine of a fruit.

Cuts: Slightly heads biased with little tails.

Primary use: Straight or as a mixer.

Bottled ABV: 25% to 40%

Wash: All fruit with some sugar to increase ABV

Age: No age required though aging is common.

Color: Clear, amber, or the color of the fruit if back sweetened with fruit

Clarity: Clear or slightly cloudy if back sweetened with fruit

Aroma: The aroma should be reminiscent of the fruit used to make the spirit

Flavor: The flavor should be reminiscent of the fruit used to make the spirit. It may also include oak if aged in barrels.

Post Distillation Flavoring: This style may be back sweetened with sugar, fruit juice/syrup, or fruit.

Amaro

Category: Flavored Spirit

Description: Amaro is a bitter spirit consisting of a larger number of flavoring agents. Amaro is made by tincturing.

Primary use: Mostly as a Mixer but straight is common as a post dinner drink.

Cuts: There will be no cuts as this is a tincture and not redistilled.

Bottled ABV: 25-50%

Wash: Either NGS or a brandy base.

Age: Generally unaged.

Color: There is no standard for color as it varies wildly. Compari is red-orange, others are yellow. Amaro is rarely uncolored.

Clarity: There is no standard for clarity as it varies wildly.

Aroma: Medium to strong aromas of constituent botanicals

Flavor: Medium to strong flavor of constituent botanicals. Should be bitter in nature, not sweet.

Post Distillation Flavoring: Tincturing with a variety of botanicals.

Vodka

Category: Neutral Spirit

Description: Vodka is a spirit distilled with little or no distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.

Cuts: Strict hearts cut

Primary use: Mostly as a Mixer but straight is common.

Bottled ABV: 40-75%

Wash: Any fermentation source can be used for Vodka. Refined sugar is common for hobbyist, corn is common for commercial applications.

Age: Unaged.

Color: Uncolored

Clarity: Clear

Aroma: Little or none of the fermentation source

Flavor: Little or none of the fermentation source

Post Distillation Flavoring: Small amounts of sugar are allowed. Vodka can be used as a based for flavoring.