Division 6.2

Spirit drinks with alcoholic strength below 50 % vol.

Measure out 200 ml of the spirit into a volumetric flask.

Record the temperature of this liquid, or maintain at standard temperature (20 °C).

Pour the sample into the round-bottomed flask of the distillation apparatus and rinse the volumetric flask with three aliquots each of approximately 20 ml of distilled water. Add each rinse water aliquot to the contents of the distillation flask.

Add a few anti-bumping granules (3.1) (and antifoam for crème liqueurs).

Pour 20 ml of distilled water into the original 200 ml volumetric flask that will be used to hold the distillate. This flask must then be placed in a cold water bath (4.1) (10 to 15 °C for aniseed-flavoured spirit drinks).

Distil, avoiding entrainment and charring, occasionally agitating the contents of the flask, until the level of distillate is a few millimetres below the calibration mark of the volumetric flask.

When the temperature of this distillate has been brought down to within 0,5 °C of the liquid's initial temperature, make up to the mark with distilled water and mix thoroughly.

This distillate is used for the determination of alcoholic strength by volume (Appendix II)