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Spirits are distilled rather than fermented alone, which concentrates alcohol and reshapes flavour. What separates the styles is the base material and what happens after distillation: gin is redistilled with botanicals, tequila comes from agave, rum from sugarcane, and brandy from fruit. WNLQ9 lists 646 bottles from 46 countries, spanning gin, rum, tequila, vodka.
Gin is a neutral spirit redistilled with botanicals, and must lead with juniper; beyond that the botanical mix is the producer’s signature. Rum is distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses, with style varying sharply by island and by whether it is aged. Tequila is made from blue agave in designated regions of Mexico, and mezcal from a wider range of agave, usually with a smoky note from pit-roasting. Vodka is distilled to a high purity and filtered for neutrality. Brandy is distilled from fruit — Cognac and Armagnac are grape brandies from delimited French regions.
Several styles carry their own grading. Cognac uses VS, VSOP and XO, each setting a minimum age for the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. Tequila runs blanco (unaged), reposado (rested in oak for months) and añejo (aged at least a year), with oak contact progressively softening the agave character. Rum labelling is far less regulated, so an age on a rum bottle may mean the youngest component, an average, or a solera system — it is worth reading the producer’s own explanation.
The classic production centres are France for Cognac, Mexico for tequila and mezcal — Jalisco and Oaxaca in particular — and England for gin. Thailand also has a growing domestic distilling scene, including Thai rum and other regional spirits.
WNLQ9 lists 646 spirits from 46 countries, spanning gin, rum, tequila, vodka.
Both are agave spirits from Mexico. Tequila must be made from blue agave in designated regions, chiefly Jalisco. Mezcal may use many agave species and is produced across a wider area, with Oaxaca the most widely recognised. Mezcal is commonly roasted in earthen pits before fermentation, which is where its characteristic smokiness comes from.
They are minimum age grades for the youngest spirit in the blend. VS is at least two years in cask, VSOP at least four, and XO at least ten under the current rule. Because they set a floor rather than an average, a blend may contain considerably older spirit than its grade requires.
Yes — juniper must be the predominant flavour for a spirit to be sold as gin. Beyond that requirement producers vary the botanical mix widely, which is why contemporary gins range from classic dry styles to citrus- or floral-forward ones.