Neutral grain spirit
Encyclopedia
Mashing
In brewing and distilling, mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain , known as the "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture...
to a very high level of ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
content. The term neutral refers to the spirit's lacking the flavor that would have been present if the mash ingredients
Mash ingredients
Mash ingredients, mash bill, or grain bill are those materials used in brewing from which a wort can be obtained for fermenting into alcohol...
were distilled to a lower level of alcoholic purity, and also lacking any flavoring added to it after distillation (as is done, for example, with gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
). Other kinds of spirits, such as whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
, are distilled to a lower alcohol percentage in order to preserve the flavor of the mash.
The mash from which neutral grain spirit is produced can be any type or mixture of cereal grains.
As a defined standard of identification under U.S. law, "neutral spirits" or "neutral alcohol" are distilled spirits produced from any material at or above 95% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
. Such a product made from grain is "grain neutral spirit," while such a spirit made from grapes is called "grape neutral spirit," and so on. When the term is used in an informal context rather than as a term of U.S. law, any distilled spirit of high alcoholic purity (e.g., 170 proof or higher) that does not contain added flavoring may be referred to as neutral alcohol.
The purity of neutral grain spirit has a practical limit of 190 proof because a mixture of ethanol and water becomes an azeotrope
Azeotrope
An azeotrope is a mixture of two or more liquids in such a ratio that its composition cannot be changed by simple distillation. This occurs because, when an azeotrope is boiled, the resulting vapor has the same ratio of constituents as the original mixture....
at 95.6% ABV
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
(191.2 proof).
Neutral grain spirit is only one type of neutral spirit (also called neutral alcohol). Neutral alcohol can also be produced from grapes, sugar beets, sugarcane, or other fermented plant material. In particular, large quantities of neutral alcohol are distilled from wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, a product that is referred to as vinous alcohol.
Neutral grain spirit is used in the production of blended whiskey
Blended whiskey
A blended whisky is the product of blending different types of whiskies and often also neutral and near-neutral spirits, coloring, and flavorings...
, cut brandy
Cut brandy
Cut brandy is a liquor made of brandy, neutral grain spirit and water. Sometimes, sugar is used to soften taste. It is often colored with caramel coloring.-Grades:Most cut brandies are graded by the relative amount of brandy it contains....
, some liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s, and some bitters
Bitters
A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...
. As a consumer good, it is almost always mixed with other beverages to create such drinks as punch
Punch (drink)
Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries...
and various cocktails, or to produce homemade liqueurs.
Availability in market areas
Because of its high alcohol content, neutral grain spirit is illegal, unavailable, or difficult to find in many areas.Canada
- In CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, The LuxcoLuxcoLuxco, Inc. is a privately owned producer and marketer of distilled alcoholic beverages and liqueurs. Formerly called the David Sherman Corporation, the Company was renamed in 2006. The company was founded in 1958 in St. Louis, Missouri, by David Sherman Sr. and Paul A. Lux...
product EverclearEverclear (alcohol)Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit manufactured by Luxco . Everclear is relatively low in congeners and is available in concentrations of 151- and 190-proof, which are 75.5 and 95 percent alcohol, respectively...
is only sold in the province of AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. In British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, one can purchase neutral grain spirits only with a permit for medical, research, or industrial use. Neutral grain spirits are also sold in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
from the producer Alcool Global.
United States
EverclearEverclear (alcohol)
Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit manufactured by Luxco . Everclear is relatively low in congeners and is available in concentrations of 151- and 190-proof, which are 75.5 and 95 percent alcohol, respectively...
, Golden Grain Alcohol
Golden Grain Alcohol
Golden Grain Alcohol is a brand of distilled beverage that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
, and Gem Clear
Gem Clear
Gem Clear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
are three brands of neutral grain spirit sold in the United States.
- It is illegal to sell the 190-proof variety of neutral grain spirit (i.e., EverclearEverclear (alcohol)Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit manufactured by Luxco . Everclear is relatively low in congeners and is available in concentrations of 151- and 190-proof, which are 75.5 and 95 percent alcohol, respectively...
, Golden Grain AlcoholGolden Grain AlcoholGolden Grain Alcohol is a brand of distilled beverage that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
, or Gem ClearGem ClearGem Clear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
) in some states of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
— CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and Washington. In some of these states, the 151-proof variety of Everclear may be sold.
- In the U.S. Commonwealth of VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, grain alcohol lacking distinctive color, odor, and flavor, while not illegal, is not sold at any liquor stores owned by the State (compare, for example, that beverages such as Southern ComfortSouthern ComfortSouthern Comfort is an American liqueur made from neutral spirits with fruit, spice and whiskey flavourings. The brand was originally created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, and is now owned by the Brown-Forman Corporation...
, a flavored liqueur that has grain alcohol as its base, are sold). Because Virginia has a self-legislated monopoly on the sale of hard liquor, independent liquor stores are illegal, and the product is thus mostly unavailable. In some cases, however, liquor stores on U.S. military bases in the Commonwealth do sell grain alcohol, and small quantities may be imported on one’s person from nearby states.
Europe
In EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, neutral alcohol is sold in some countries. Since it is usually distilled from grain, it is in fact neutral grain spirit. This product contains 95%–95.6% ABV
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
(190–191.2 proof) and is much used for making homemade liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s. In Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, neutral alcohol is called Neutralalkohol or (colloquially) Primasprit. Primasprit is sold in stores and is most often used for making homemade liqueurs; other uses are rare.
There are several Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
companies that sell neutral grain spirit. Most of these are part of a state-owned monopoly called Polmos
Polmos
Polmos was a Polish state-owned monopoly, controlling the Polish market for vodka and other spirits. Founded in the late 1920s, until World War II it was one of the leading vodka producers in Poland...
, which is now being privatized.
Japan
In JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, neutral grain spirit is sold in the same manner as other common liquors. It may be purchased by anyone over the age of 20 in both bars and retail stores, or on Internet shopping sites, provided that the retailer possesses a license issued by the National Tax Agency
National Tax Agency
The is the official tax collecting agency of Japan and a government ministry. As of 2008, its Commissioner was Michito Ishii.-External links:...
. Handling or storing more than 400 litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
s (105.7 US gallons) also requires a license.
Neutral grain spirit is classified as a hazardous material
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are solids, liquids, or gases that can harm people, other living organisms, property, or the environment. They are often subject to chemical regulations. "HazMat teams" are personnel specially trained to handle dangerous goods...
in Japan due to its flammability
Flammability
Flammability is defined as how easily something will burn or ignite, causing fire or combustion. The degree of difficulty required to cause the combustion of a substance is quantified through fire testing. Internationally, a variety of test protocols exist to quantify flammability...
, and fire departments advise caution when drinking it while smoking.
Israel
In IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, neutral grain spirit is sold in the same manner as other common liquors. It may be purchased by anyone over the age of 18 in both bars and retail stores.
Rectified spirit
"Rectified spiritRectified spirit
A rectified spirit, rectified alcohol, or neutral spirit is highly concentrated ethanol which has been purified by means of repeated distillation, a process that is called rectification. It typically contains 95% alcohol by volume...
" or "rectified alcohol" is neutral alcohol which has been purified by means of "rectification" (i.e., repeated distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
). It will contain at least 95% ABV
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
. It is normally used for medicinal purposes but can also be used to make homemade liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s. It can be a grain spirit or can be made from other plants.
Cultural references
In the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove (directed by Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
), base commander General Jack D. Ripper states that he drinks only pure grain alcohol with distilled water or rainwater.
In season 5 of the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
, during the World Series Defense episode, the gang state that they drink only grain alcohol or "riot punch" before any event where a riot or brawl could occur, such as a Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
game.
See also
- Rectified spiritRectified spiritA rectified spirit, rectified alcohol, or neutral spirit is highly concentrated ethanol which has been purified by means of repeated distillation, a process that is called rectification. It typically contains 95% alcohol by volume...
- Alcoholic beverageAlcoholic beverageAn alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
- Alcoholic proof
- Denatured alcohol
- Distilled beverageDistilled beverageA distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
- EthanolEthanolEthanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
- EverclearEverclear (alcohol)Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit manufactured by Luxco . Everclear is relatively low in congeners and is available in concentrations of 151- and 190-proof, which are 75.5 and 95 percent alcohol, respectively...
- Gem ClearGem ClearGem Clear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
- Golden Grain AlcoholGolden Grain AlcoholGolden Grain Alcohol is a brand of distilled beverage that is available at 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
External links
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