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What Is The Difference Between Gin, Vodka, Whiskey And Rum - Quora

What is the difference between gin, vodka,

whiskey and rum

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Anthony Mattox, hobbyist know-it-all.

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10 upvotes by Robert A. Burr, Akshat Agrawal, Yaeka Katsuta, (more)

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All spirits are made by roughly the same process. Something sugary is
fermented, during which yeast convert sugars to alcohol, and then distilled.
Distillation is the process of bringing the fermented mash to a warm
temperature and collecting the vaporized liquid. More of the alcohol, which has
a lower boiling point, will evaporate than the water, so you get your high proof
spirit. Some spirits are then aged or undergo some other special process and
finally additional water is often added to achieve the desired strength, and the
liquor is bottled. The things that change between liquors are what the initial
sugary substance is, if and how it is aged, and other special things that happen
along the way. Other factors, like the method if distillation, effect the flavor,
but don't effect what type of liquor is made.

Vodka is the simplest of spirits and consists almost entirely of water and
ethanol. It's distilled many times to a very high proof, removing almost all
impurities, and then watered down to desired strength. Since just about all
impurities are removed, it can be made from just about anything. Potatoes,
grain, or a mixture are most common. Flavored vodkas are made by adding
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flavors and sugars after the fact when the liquor is bottled.
Whiskey is specifically made from grain and is aged in wood casks. The grain
is mixed with water and fermented to make beer and then distilled. The liquor
comes out of the still white and is very much like vodka, although less
aggressively distilled so with some flavor from the grains and fermentation.
The color is imparted by aging in wood casks. Different types of whiskey are
separated by the grain they are made of, how they are aged, and specific
regional processes. Scotches are from Scotland, made mostly with barley, are
smokey from the way the barley is kiln dried. Bourbons are made from at least
half corn and are aged in charred barrels which impart caramel and vanilla
flavors. Rye is made from rye, and there are plenty more variations.
Gin, like the others made with grain, starts is life as beer, which is then distilled
to a high proof like vodka. Aromatic herbs including juniper berries and often
gentian, angelica root, and a host of secret flavorings depending on the brand,
are added to the pure spirit. The liquor is then distilled again. The second
distillation leaves behind heavy bitter molecules which don't vaporize readily,
capturing only the lighter aromatics. Appropriately bathtub gin omits the
second distillation. Dutch gin is made by including the aromatics in the original
fermenting mash and has a different, harsher flavor.
Rum is made by fermenting and distilling cane sugar. Traditionally made
from less refined sugar, it contains aromas of the sugar cane. Originally it was
an inadvertent by product of making sugar as runoff from the refinery quickly
fermented. Like whiskey, some rums are aged, giving them an amber color.
And, like other sprits there are regional variations with slightly different
processes.
And to be thorough...
Brandy is a distilled spirit from fruits. Most commonly grapes.
Agave liquors, including tequila, mezcal, and sotol, are made from fermented
sugars from the agave, a relative of aloes.

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All of this, however, is only relevant to traditionally made spirits. It all goes out
the window with lesser quality liquors which try to capture the spirit of each by
adding artificial flavors and colors to grain alcohol and water. Except, of
course, for vodka, which is already that thing. Even many expensive whiskeys
are watered down and artificially colored. Identifying the real deal can be a big
project.
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Jonathan LeBlanc, drinking and making

1 upvote by Prakhar Nandi Srivastava.

Vodka is distilled alcohol have is filtered many times for purity. It may be
made from grain, starch, or fruit based distillate.
Gin is distilled grain alcohol that is flavored with Juniper, its almost just
juniper flavored vodka, but probably won't be filtered as much.
Whisky is grain alcohol that is aged in wood barrels.
Rum is distilled sugar based alcohol that may or may not be aged.
and you didn't ask, but Brandy is fruit based distilled alcohol and may or may
not be aged.
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Rishi Singh
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Gin The spirit is once again in vogue and a favorite of mixologists around the
world.
In Holland or Belgium, distillers began to infuse alcohol with juniper berries
and a variety of other botanicals. (This spirit was arguably the first flavored
vodka.)
While all gin has some juniper flavor, the other botanicals can include a wide
array of herbs, vegetables, flowers, fruits, spices and even tea.
The spirit could be made easily and quickly, even in a bathtub. The botanicals
also helped to make rough alcohol somewhat more palatable.
Vodka The final product is supposed to be colorless, odorless and tasteless.
Traditionally, vodka was made from potatoes, corn or grains, but it is now
made from a range of exotic bases including grapes, maple syrup and even
soybeans.
Vodka is usually produced in a high-volume, continuous column still. After
distillation, the spirit is filtered to remove any remaining impurities. Coal is a
traditional filter, but brands today use a range of materials, even including
diamonds.
Vodka isnt aged and can be bottled and sold immediately after production.
People began drinking vodka in America as early as the beginning of the 20th
century. Sales of the spirit were low until after World War II, when Americans
began to shift away from Scotch and bourbon.
This movement was helped by Smirnoffs aggressive marketing in the 50s and
60s and later by the introduction of the Swedish Absolut and the superpremium Grey Goose. Today, vodka is the most popular spirit in America and
outsells rum, tequila and gin combined.
Rum Hundreds of years ago, there was a sugar craze in Europe, and colonies were
established around the Caribbean to make the sweet commodity. But the
production of sugar creates a lot of byproductnamely, molasses. There wasnt
much use for the thick, sticky, sweet substance until it was discovered that
molasses could be fermented and then distilled.
The alcohol quickly became popular with pirates, sailors and Americas
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founders.
The color of the spirit is primarily determined by the amount of time it has
spent aging in oak barrels. The longer its been aged, the more color and flavor
it picks up from the wood.
Whiskey The type of whiskey is determined by the grain used in distillation and/or
where it is produced.
The different grains produce different taste characteristics of whiskey, and
there are differences in distillation methods that vary by region and by
producer. This creates a wide variety of flavors of whiskey from the sweet to
spicy, from smooth to bold and smoky.
The Different types of whiskey are listed below:
Bourbon / American Whiskey
Irish Whiskey
Scotch Whisky
Rye Whiskey
Canadian Whisky
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