Latest Lists

How do distilleries manage to get their spirits exactly "80 proof" or "90 proof"?

I know that "90 proof" means 45% alcoholic content. But exactly how does the distillery get the final product to have this exact alcoholic content? Or is the alcoholic content listed on the bottle an exact amount? How does this work?

Public Comments

1. WAT
2. Water is added as necessary to get the alcohol percent correct. A hydrometer can be used to measure the alcohol content. Commercial distilleries may have another method but the hydrometer has been the standard for measuring alcohol percent for centuries
3. You add x amount of fermenetable sugar, x amount of water, some yeast, wait a certain amount of time and you'll get a predicable amount of alcohol. The big producers do the same thing over and over and over. They know what it takes to get 80 proof.