Distillery Operations & Craft Flashcards
7 cards from real CSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Distillery Operations & Craft flashcards as text
In a pot still distillation, what is the primary purpose of the 'lyne arm' (lye pipe)?
Answer: To direct vapor from the still neck to the condenser and influence reflux
The lyne arm connects the still neck to the condenser and its angle (ascending or descending) governs how much reflux occurs, shaping the spirit's weight and character.
What does a descending (downward-angled) lyne arm typically produce compared to an ascending one?
Answer: A heavier, oilier spirit with less reflux
A descending lyne arm reduces reflux, allowing heavier congeners to pass through uncondensed back into the still, yielding a fuller, oilier new make spirit.
A distiller makes the 'foreshots' cut when the spirit safe reading indicates what?
Answer: The spirit runs clear and early undesirable compounds have been removed
Foreshots are diverted to the feints receiver until the distiller judges—by clarity, smell, and strength—that clean middle-cut spirit has begun to flow.
What term describes the combined foreshots and feints that are redistilled in the next spirit-still charge?
Answer: Low wines and feints
Low wines from the wash still plus feints (and foreshots) from the previous spirit still run are combined and redistilled together in the spirit still.
Which condensing method is associated with producing a heavier, more sulfury character that can be a desired house style trait?
Answer: Worm tub condenser
Worm tub condensers cool vapor more slowly with less copper contact, retaining more sulfur compounds and producing a heavier, meatier spirit characteristic of distilleries like Mortlach.
Copper in pot stills plays a critical chemical role by removing which unwanted compound family from the spirit?
Answer: Sulfur compounds (dimethyl sulfide and hydrogen sulfide)
Copper reacts with sulfurous compounds produced during fermentation, binding them so they don't carry over into the final spirit.
At Scotch malt whisky distilleries, the spirit safe is legally sealed by whom, and what is its primary regulatory purpose?
Answer: HMRC (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs), to prevent untaxed spirit from being removed before duty is assessed
The spirit safe is locked by HMRC so that distillers can make cuts by observing the spirit without physically touching it, ensuring all spirit is accounted for before excise duty is applied.