At FFCE we provide tailored beverage consulting solutions for fruit spirit production including brandies and liqueurs. This includes the selection of ingredients the type being fresh fruits or fermented fruits or the production of an excellent blend that enhances both the flavor and the alcohol content. In our distillation consulting services, we help with Licensing and Permitting Assistance and documentation Preparation; in addition to various other Compliance and Quality Assurance services required at various stages of distillation production.
Based on the Tenkan process, FFCE closes the manufacturing cycle from fermentation and distillation to packaging and shipment, which guarantees the high quality of products and their production on an industrial scale. Sensory testing is also available to further enhance different flavors and help keep your fruit spirits as unique as they need to be in today’s market.
What is Fruit Spirit?
Fruit spirits refer to liquor produced from fruit extracts that undergo the process of fermentation distillation or brandy and Eau-de-vie. Fruit spirits production involves using fresh, good quality fruits of ripe nature, which provide the right amounts of sugar and Acidity. The fruit is then washed and ready for peeling if any stem or pit is present, this is removed, depending on the type of the fruit used. After the fruit ripens, yeast is introduced into the fruit in the process of fermentation which transforms the fruit sugar into alcohol. Such treatment can take a few days or a few weeks depending on the type of the fruit as well as the characteristics of the end product intended.
After fermentation, the fruit mash or juice is evaporated further to intensify the alcohol and to yield the qualities of the fruit. As the next operation in the fruit spirits production distillation is important to concentrate the natural aromas and tastes due to which the alcohol content is increased. Some of them are subsequently matured in wooden vessels to obtain richer profiles, while others are bottled as young as possible to express primary fruit character.
Distilled or may be required to be aged and then passed through the filter before it is bottled in a moisture-proof air-tight container. The packaging protects the aroma in the fruit spirit and gives it the right shelf life as it should have. Labeling includes pointing at the type of fruit which has been used and other characteristics which may include aging period or traditional method of production.
Fruit spirits must have particular pieces of equipment for example fermentation vessels in which fruit sugars are converted to alcohol. Concentration of alcohol and the essence of fruits requires distillation units in the alcoholic production. The filtration systems assist in purifying the spirit without upsetting its taste through the elimination of the negatives aspects that are varieties of impurities. Specific spirits are left to mature in ageing barrels so as to provide extra dimensions. After that, automated bottling machines for bottling and sealing the spirits, to followed by labelling and packing equipment for making the product marketable. Temperature controlled storage tanks are useful at this stage to store the stock or produce or any other item for maturation or before supplying the market.
Types of Fruit Spirits
Fruit spirits can therefore be grouped depending on the fruit from which the primary base is obtained. Here, we examine several of the largest categories and discuss their background, flavor and usage characteristics.
Apple Brandy
- Source: Produced through the fermentation of apple juice, preferably from particular sorts of apples.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet with apple, vanilla and oak flavor when it has been matured.
- Applications: Traditionally it is consumed as an apereitif, mixed in cocktails and also included in recipes.
- Third, Pear Brandy also called Eau-de-Vie de Poire.
- Source: Aged Pear juice usually done by fermenting the juice of Williams pears.
- Flavor Profile: Aroma fresh and clear with a pear taste.
- Applications: Used neat, in cocktails, and for flavoring in desert.
Plum Brandy
- Source: Made from fermented plums and this fruit is popularly known to grow in the eastern Europe.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet and sour taste with plum like flavor, it had an overwhelming flavor of plums.
- Applications: Again served straight or in cocktails, but also incorporated into culture dishes as well.
Cherry Brandy
- Source: Extracted from cherries, especially the Morello cherries.
- Flavor Profile: Quite pale, with a slight haze and a definite cherry tone on the tongue, just a hint of almond.
- Applications: Beverages, cakes, chocolates, and it its pure form as a flavoring agent.
- Berry spirits include raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry.
- Source: Grown from different types of berries, every one of them has different properties.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet and sour are characteristic of the wine, although its depth is entirely rich and has a pleasant fruity flavor.
- Applications: When neat, in cocktails, and as a flavor-enhancing addition to dishes and beverages.
Apricot Brandy
- Source: Fermented from apricot.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet and aromatic, it has a strong apricot taste.
- Applications: It is consumed in the production of cocktails, baking, and sometimes as toppings on desserts.
The Production Process of Fruit Spirits
- The fruit spirit manufacturing process requires certain technical processes in order to come up with better output fruit spirits. This comprises of fermentation, distillation, aging, and packaging each and every one of these stages must be closely monitored and well handled.
- Compatibility of fruits, kind of fruits to select and how to prepare them.
- Objective: Choose ripened and quality fruits to use in the fermentation process.
- Process: The fruits are chosen ripe and good quality then they are cleaned before preparation. Some of the fruits may need pitting or destemming to för example cherries or plums to avoid the fruit turning out bitter when distilled.
Fermentation
- Objective: Fermentation: the-fructose-in-fruits-into-alcohol.
- Process: Readily available fruits are prepared and then mashed then they are fermented by use of specific yeast strains. The temperature during fermentation and the time that it takes are well regulated in order to enhance alcohol content and taste. At times, special enzymes called pectolytic are usually used to degrade pectin for better yield of juice.
Distillation
- Objective: Remove water from the solution of alcohol and fruit flavors.
- Process: The fermented mash is then distilled using a copper pot still or column still. Distillation can be run for one time or two times, depending on the level of alcohol strength and the intensity of the flavored aroma that is required. This specifically concentrated distillate is called the “hearts”, and the “heads” and “tails” are unwanted fractions.
- Aging and Personality Development (if applicable)
- Objective: Improve depth and richness of taste as well as texture character and silky mouthfeel.
- Process: Some fruit spirits are further matured in oak casks and this adds and rounds off the spirit. Ageing time depends on the type of spirit, and what characteristics are desired to be attained. There are some more strictly classified fruit spirits for which the fruit is distilled and, if they are unaged, bottled immediately.
Packaging
- Objective: Maintain quality and orientation to consumers.
- Process: One of the reasons why fruit spirits are packed in glass bottles to avoid the quality of the brand from being compromised. Selecting the type of bottle, a cap or a cork and a label is even more important for the preservation of the spirit from light and exposure to air as for marketing effect.
- This research therefore focused on the engineering of packaging material for fruit spirits.
- Labeling is also important with an aim of protecting the quality and adventure of the fruit spirits for the longest time possible. In choosing the packaging materials for the spirit, considerations have to be done from the engineering point of view to shield the product against light and oxygen as well as physical injury.
Material Used
Glass Bottles
- Objective: Ensure that a harmless vessel with a good quality material is handed over to the client.
- Materials: Glass is the best suitable for packaging fruit spirits because it has no ill effects on taste and smell of the product. Further protection against light might be achieved by using black glass bottles.
Closures and Seals
- Objective: Another element regarding its handling is the oxidation and contamination control.
- Design Considerations: These include natural corks, synthetic corks and screw caps, that vary in terms of their permeability to oxygen and closure efficiency. This is so because the options depend with the spirit type together with the expected shelf life.
- We in design therefore refer to the appearance and usability of an object as either being aesthetic and functional or as having an aesthetic-functional quality to them.
- Objective: Market to the consumer and make it easy for them.
- Design Considerations: Labelling and bottle design and branding are essential in positioning the products in the market area. Individual shaped bottles, attractive and quality labels, and quality closures are some ways that could serve to attract the consumer.