VODKA PRODUCTION PROCESS Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: wine-making. SUBSTANCE: method consists in refining food alcohol by epuration of water-alcohol mixture followed by rectification to produce highest-purity product. Sorted vodka is produced by mixing rectified alcohol with softened water, adding special ingredients, ageing, sorting, and filtration. During refining operation, alcohol receives basic and/or oxidizing reagents (0.01 to 10.0 g/l added into rectification column), and epuration is carried out in presence of copper ions (no more than 0.1 mg/l). Softened water is subjected to reverse-osmosis purification to achieve hardness not exceeding 0.25 mol/cu.m, and sorted vodka is obtained by combining pretreated softened water with rectified alcohol. Further, sorted vodka is preliminarily filtered through sand filters, then, successively, on carbon-filter battery with rate 30-60 dcl/hr, once more through sand filters with the same rate as on carbon filters, and finely on carbon-filter battery to give commercial produce. In some cases, 0.01 to 3.0 g/l of acidic reagent can be added into epuration column. Commercial alcohol is withdrawn from final refining column in vapor phase for subsequent condensation prior to be combined with pretreated water. EFFECT: improved organoleptic characteristics. 5 cl, 3 ex