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Thread: Ethanol Vs. Whiskey

  1. #1
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    Ethanol Vs. Whiskey

    Is ethanol the same thing as whiskey? The same process is involved in the production of it. Sure, you need corn for whiskey, but it's all the same right?

    I know that ethanol does have some chemicals added to it that makes it poisonous, but is it just regular drinking alcohol before the chemicals are added?

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    The majority of the ethanol in the U.S. is made from corn, but it can also be produced from other feedstocks such as grain sorghum, wheat, barley, or potatoes. Brazil, the world's largest ethanol producer, makes the fuel from sugarcane.

    Ethanol can be made by a dry mill process or a wet mill process. Most of the ethanol in the U.S. is made using the dry mill method. In the dry mill process, the starch portion of the corn is fermented into sugar then distilled into alcohol.

    The major steps in the dry mill process are:

    1. Milling. The feedstock passes through a hammer mill which grinds it into a fine powder called meal.

    2. Liquefaction. The meal is mixed with water and alpha-amylase, then passed through cookers where the starch is liquefied. Heat is applied at this stage to enable liquefaction. Cookers with a high temperature stage (120-150 degrees Celsius) and a lower temperature holding period (95 degrees Celsius) are used. High temperatures reduce bacteria levels in the mash.

    3. Saccharification. The mash from the cookers is cooled and the secondary enzyme (gluco-amylase) is added to convert the liquefied starch to fermentable sugars (dextrose).

    4. Fermentation. Yeast is added to the mash to ferment the sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Using a continuous process, the fermenting mash is allowed to flow through several fermenters until it is fully fermented and leaves the final tank. In a batch process, the mash stays in one fermenter for about 48 hours before the distillation process is started.

    5. Distillation. The fermented mash, now called beer, contains about 10% alcohol plus all the non-fermentable solids from the corn and yeast cells. The mash is pumped to the continuous flow, multi-column distillation system where the alcohol is removed from the solids and the water. The alcohol leaves the top of the final column at about 96% strength, and the residue mash, called stillage, is transferred from the base of the column to the co-product processing area.

    6. Dehydration. The alcohol from the top of the column passes through a dehydration system where the remaining water will be removed. Most ethanol plants use a molecular sieve to capture the last bit of water in the ethanol. The alcohol product at this stage is called anhydrous ethanol (pure, without water) and is approximately 200 proof.

    7. Denaturing. Ethanol that will be used for fuel must be denatured, or made unfit for human consumption, with a small amount of gasoline (2-5%). This is done at the ethanol plant.

    8. Co-Products. There are two main co-products created in the production of ethanol: distillers grain and carbon dioxide. Distillers grain, used wet or dry, is a highly nutritious livestock feed. Carbon dioxide is given off in great quantities during fermentation and many ethanol plants collect, compress, and sell it for use in other industries.

  3. #3
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    I see. But if you stopped the process in a specific part, it would be exactly the same as beer, rum or barley. Cool stuff.

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    I'd rather stop at the beer and whiskey point. Wouldn't it be worth more at that point?

  5. #5
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    Depends on your goals.

    Although I'm not sure how much it's worth either way.

  6. #6
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    I bet if you sold the whiskey you would be able to buy far more ethanol. Anyway...what does ethanol taste like? Is it good mixed with Coke? Are there any hillbillies out there that can answer this?

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    the alcohol inb ethanol and whisky are the same its just there are slight differences in ingredients.
    I want to die in my sleep like my Grandma, not screaming like the other 3 people in her car.

    There are 10 types of people in this world. People who understand binary and people who don't.

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    Stick with whiskey. Nothing does it like a good ol' Jack Daniel's No. 7. Ethanol doesn't taste great. My friend drank an ounce of it during a physics lab at school and didn't liked it at all. I imagine however it was probably altered in some way because we used it to test if it conducts electricity or not. My friend is a weirdo by the way.
    Reginald *IB4R* says:
    it was a beautiful 35 seconds.
    David says:
    that's what she said

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  10. #10
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    if you've ever had everclear, its 95 or 96% ethanol; i imagine it would taste nearly the same. but as said before, the alcohol in whisk(e)y and other liquors is ethanol, but each different type has extra junk added

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    The questions in this thread are quite confusing.
    Ethanol = Alcohol
    Whiskey isn't "pure" alcohol. Asking if whiskey and ethanol are the same is like asking if water and coca cola are the same. No they're not, but the water in the Coke is the same as the water in the water.
    Quote Originally Posted by fisetdavid26
    Stick with whiskey. Nothing does it like a good ol' Jack Daniel's
    Jack Daniel's isn't whiskey.
    http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31695
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pando
    Jack Daniel's isn't whiskey.
    I may be wrong but I guess this picture proves me right:

    Reginald *IB4R* says:
    it was a beautiful 35 seconds.
    David says:
    that's what she said

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by fisetdavid26
    I may be wrong but I guess this picture proves me right:
    It has been granted the use of the name Tennessee whiskey on the label. But it is bourbon. Same goes for Jim Beam.
    http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31695
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pando
    It has been granted the use of the name Tennessee whiskey on the label. But it is bourbon. Same goes for Jim Beam.
    Ah, ok. Thanks for the correction.
    Reginald *IB4R* says:
    it was a beautiful 35 seconds.
    David says:
    that's what she said

  15. #15
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    Bourbon is a whiskey, as is Scotch a whiskey.

    Dictionary definition:

    whis·key also whis·ky (hwĭs'kē, wĭs'-) pronunciation
    n., pl. -keys also whis·kies.

    1. An alcoholic liquor distilled from grain, such as corn, rye, or barley, and containing approximately 37 to 50 percent ethyl alcohol by volume.
    Last edited by revetec; 02-08-2007 at 04:08 PM.

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