Distillation VS Filtration

Our kit does not use distillation but rather filtration to create our finished product. Many people have said you can not make Absinthe with out distillation and this is true to some extent, you need to separate and purify the final product. Through substituting carbon based micron filtration for distillation we have developed a process for absinthe production that very much approximates the finished products of the late 1800's with out the dangers, legalities and complexity of distillation.

At some point distillation is used to make every spirited drink of high alcohol content. Distillation is the process of separating alcohol from water and water soluble components. Distillation occurs because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water and can thus be boiled off and collected leaving behind water. For a better understanding here are the basics of alcohol production and how our kit fits in.

Fermentation. The sugar in grain such as wheat or corn is converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide by the addition of yeast. With the addition of yeast to the sugar, the yeast multiplies producing carbon dioxide which bubbles away and a mixture of alcohol, water and particles of congeners.

Distillation. The alcohol, grain particles, water and congeners are heated. The alcohol vaporizes first, leaving the water, the grain particles and some of the congeners in the boiling vessel. The vaporized alcohol is then cooled or condensed, to form clear drops of distilled spirits (Ethanol).

Next depending on the alcohol produced there is flavoring macerated in with the alcohol and then another round of distillation and or filtration.

Filtration. This is where we pick up. Since we are starting with grain alcohol (Ethanol) such as vodka or Everclear the previous steps have been completed for us. We are going to ad another round of maceration and filtration to produce our Absinthe. Yes absinthe distilleries start with many of the same herbs we do at the fermentation stage to produce alcohol but after distillation they end with alcohol (Ethanol) just like our process. Our process and theres will end with a final maceration and filtration.

In many ways filtration acts as distillation by separating unwanted particles from the finished product. Our micron filtration system uses activated carbon to separate unwanted particles and congeners from the macerated alcohol and will leave us with a crisp filtered final product. Each of our kits comes with a filtration system that other cheaper kits do not include. Our micron filtration ensures you don't end up with a pour quality questionable product.