The drinks industry is built on grain neutral spirit. Without this crucial ingredient, there wouldn’t be such a huge selection of drinks on offer today. From vodka and gin to liqueurs and whisky, GNS (sometimes called rectified spirit) is at the heart of the process.
Grain neutral spirit is also integral to other industries, such as perfume making, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It’s an incredibly versatile product, and in this article, we’ll examine how it’s used in the manufacturing of many of our favourite drinks.
We’ll explore the use of GNS in other sectors and how it can also be used to produce non- or low-alcohol spirits. Our article will also look at what alternatives exist to GNS and how sustainable the process is in a society that places an increasing emphasis on the use of greener, more environmentally aware manufacturing processes.
Let’s start by examining exactly what we mean by grain neutral spirits.
What is GNS?
The simple definition of grain neutral spirit is that it is highly concentrated alcohol made from grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. By putting a mash made from these grains through repeated distillation processing, a neutral spirit (devoid of any discernible flavour) is produced. This is then used as a base for producing drinks such as vodka, gin and whisky.
That’s a rather simplistic summary of the process, as there is a lot involved in manufacturing high-quality GNS to a consistent standard. GNS also has to adhere to strict guidelines and legislation controlling its strength and quality.
For example, its legal definition is a spirit distilled at or above 95% ABV – or, if you’re in the US, 190 proof. If bottled, it must be at or above 40% ABV. This means the alcohol content is exceptionally high right out of the distillery. Everclear produces GNS that reaches the maximum legal limit of 95% ABV. In its raw state, GNS is unpalatable and hazardous to consume in any quantity. This is due to the methanol produced during the distillation process, which is why improperly distilled homemade alcohol can be extremely dangerous to drink.
What are the benefits of using GNS in drinks manufacturing?
Grain neutral spirits are the core of any consumer spirits manufacturing business, primarily because they’re considerably cheaper to produce than other neutral alcohol alternatives, such as potato alcohol. The volume of GNS from a tonne of grain is much higher than that of other variants.
One tonne of grain produces between 300-400 litres of pure alcohol. In most distilleries, one tonne (1,000 Ltr) of 95% ABV alcohol can yield around 3,200 750ml bottles of high-alcohol spirit. The returns on a relatively high-yield base ingredient make it far more profitable for distillers to use GNS than other, more costly base spirits.
Other benefits of GNS include the fact that consistency is easier to maintain across larger quantities. This gives a high-profile labelled vodka such as Smirnoff a consistent, standard quality consumers expect from one bottle to the next. Because GNS produces no recognisable flavour, it is easier to maintain this consistency by adding different ingredients. Put simply, if the base ingredient is the same all the time, the recipe doesn’t have to change or adapt to keep the drink’s character intact across multiple batches.
Grain neutral spirits are also ideal for scaling up production. Not only is GNS cost-effective, but it produces consistent results. So if a distiller wants to respond to market demands by scaling up production, they can do so safe in the knowledge that their brand will not be adversely affected.
Clear spirits are far quicker to bring to market than brown spirits (which need years to mature), making them a useful additional revenue stream for distilleries.
For craft distillers, it can eliminate an entire section of the process – buying in GNS rather than going through the fermentation and distillation process in-house saves time, costs, space, and money. This is one reason why so many craft distilleries have opened up over the past few years.
Are there any cons?
As with every process, there are pros and cons to using GNS. Although they are described as ‘neutral’ and we have mentioned that they have no discernible taste, GNS does have a flavour profile that may not suit all types of drinks.
Compared to potato spirit, GNS has a sharp mouth feel that, if you’re drinking a spirit neat, can have quite an aggressive aftertaste. While it absorbs the flavours of botanicals particularly well (hence its extensive use in gin manufacturing), it doesn’t always blend well with others and may need a little more time to mature to create a better-quality finish on the palate.
What are the alternatives to grain spirits?
Potato spirit is the most obvious alternative to GNS, although it only makes up around 3% of vodka spirits, and very little is used in other areas. Potato spirit has a more oily mouthfeel and is often preferred by those who like to drink their vodka or spirit neat.
Grape-based neutral spirits have a high ABV rating, around 95.5%. Also known as vinous alcohol, grape alcohol, or wine alcohol, it’s made from the residue from wine production, including the skin, seed, pulp, and even the plant’s stem. Wine-based neutral spirit is particularly popular for making fortified wines such as port, sherry, and Marsala, as well as in brandy and liqueur production, as its flavour complements these spirits perfectly.
Molasses-based neutral alcohol is made from refined sugarcane or sugar beet. It has a much stronger aroma than the usual fairly neutral odour you get with GNS and is often used in making white rum, as the sweeter flavour works well. Where molasses neutral alcohol does have an advantage is that it can be a certified organic product, which is a strong selling point for modern consumers.
The different types of neutral grain spirit
Four main types of grain are used to make neutral grain spirit – wheat, rye, corn and barley. Let’s take a look at each of these in turn.
Wheat-based GNS
This is the most commonly used source ingredient for GNS as it is one of the most prolific grain crops produced worldwide. Its neutral flavour profile makes it excellent for almost any application, particularly vodkas and flavoured spirits for use in cocktails. Light, sharp and fresh, it readily absorbs constituent flavours, making it a favoured base ingredient for major distillers. The high yield of neutral grain spirit per tonne makes it one of the most cost-effective choices for creating GNS.
Barley-based GNS
Barley’s association with alcohol goes back to the dawn of time. This grain is one of the oldest to be used for brewing and fermentation and is still a key part of the process today. It’s often used to produce high-quality gin because it absorbs and balances botanical notes from juniper and citruses.
Rye-based GNS
Rye-based GNS is popular with distillers because of its drier, fresher flavour profile than wheat. It tends to have slightly fruity characteristics, which makes it very popular for craft gins, while the subtle spicy overtones add a greater depth of character.
Corn GNS
Corn-based GNS is particularly popular in the USA since much of the agricultural industry is already geared up for growing corn. So, logistically, it makes sense to use it as a GNS base. Corn has a slightly sweeter flavour profile, as it has a higher natural sugar content. It’s often used in liqueurs, where its sweetness complements and enhances the final flavour.
Bear in mind that we are talking about very subtle nuances in all of these. However, an experienced distiller can discern the variations and use them to craft a unique flavour profile for the finished product.
Are GNS products gluten-free?
The short answer is yes. The fermentation and distillation process removes the gluten, making GNS (even wheat-based options) suitable for anyone who may be gluten-intolerant. This can be used as a USP for producers, especially as customers are now more aware of gluten-free products.
The different grades of neutral spirits
Current EU legislation, particularly REGULATION (EU) 2019/787, defines various grades of neutral spirits, outlines the basic levels of purity required, and what the end result is used for. This particular legislation also includes the definition, description, presentation, and labelling of spirits, including their use in foodstuffs.
Extra Neutral Alcohol, or ENA, is the most commonly used GNS. It’s a high-distillate and impurity-free alcohol with an ethanol grade of at least 96% ABV. It’s used for making beverages and for other uses, including pharmaceutical applications, cosmetics, and cleaning products.
GNS and low and alcohol-free drinks
The rising popularity of low and non-alcoholic drinks has taken the industry by surprise. Thanks to events such as ‘Dry January’, people are increasingly turning to non-alcohol alternatives, and the demand for zero-alcohol gin, for example, has opened up a whole new marketplace. However, even many non-alcoholic products start with a GNS base.
A non-alcoholic spirit has less than 0.5% alcohol, making it about as potent as a piece of ripe fruit. The alcohol in the GNS base is removed through boiling or steaming to leave a non-alcoholic spirit.
The reason that distillers use GNS to start the non-alcoholic process is that the act of distilling the alcohol out of the equation concentrates the flavours in the liquid left behind. You may find, for example, that zero-alcohol gin has a much more pronounced and often more complex botanical flavour profile, which consumers tend to like.
Non-alcoholic spirits are also ideal for making ‘mocktails’, as they offer all the flavour of the original but without the effects of the alcoholic version.
Brands like Seedlip, the ‘world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit,’ and Everleaf, which produces a range of non-alcoholic aperitifs, led the way in the no-alcohol revolution, creating a new category before the ‘big guys’ in the drinks industry followed suit with offerings like Gordon’s Gin 0.0% and Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum 0.0% to name a few.
Considering the massive increase in the sales of non-alcoholic spirits in the last couple of years, it’s no surprise that non-alcoholic drinks are likely to be a significant market for GNS producers over the next decade.
How is GNS being used outside the drinks industry?
While the most obvious use for grain neutral spirits (and certainly in our context) is for the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic spirits, it is also widely used in many other industries. Thanks to its lower price point, GNS has found multiple marketplaces worldwide. It is now used in diverse applications such as fuel sources, solvents in various industries, cleaning agents, preservatives, and many pharmaceutical applications. In many of these applications, Extra-Neutral Alcohol is used, as it is the purest form of alcohol, repeatedly distilled to produce an ethanol grade of 96% ABV or above and free from impurities.
In the cosmetics industry, it’s used as a preservative, a solvent, and for antibacterial applications in everything from hairspray and deodorants to hand sanitising gel, shampoo and perfume. As it has no odour, it doesn’t interfere with any additional ingredients that may be used to provide fragrance to the product.
Its use in pharmaceuticals includes the production of vaccines, as well as pill production and tinctures, while it also appears in paints, cleaning products and varnishes.
The future of GNS
Grain neutral spirits have been an intrinsic part of distilling for a long time. While new variations have come onto the scene, the types used and the method of production of GNS haven’t really changed that much. However, with an eye on sustainability and a more conscious approach to manufacturing taking hold, the industry will need to reevaluate how it crafts its most crucial base ingredient.
Corn-based GNS is already a big factor in the US, but thanks to the base crop being one of the most sustainable and high-yield per acre of any neutral alcohol, you may see more spirits made with corn neutral spirit. Another option in its early stages of development is pea-based neutral spirits. In February 2020, Scottish distillery Arbikie revealed a new project it had been working on for five years – a gin called Nàdar. This revolutionary gin is marketed as the world’s first ‘climate-positive’ gin with a neutral spirit made from peas.
Remarkably, it has a carbon footprint in the minuses, at -1.53kg of CO2e per 700ml bottle. The use of peas meant that nitrogen fertiliser was not required to grow the base ingredient for the neutral spirit, as well as improving the quality of the soil and offsetting the need for nitrogen fertiliser for follow-on crops. Following the success of the gin, they also followed up with a vodka made from the same pea-based neutral spirit.
Arbikie’s example demonstrates that more sustainable base products can be manufactured and that producers who ‘think outside the box’ could also have a strong unique selling point when marketing their products.
Other options include surplus apples that are usually sold as livestock feed, as used by Avallen Calvados, and Foxhole Spirits, who produce a gin and a rum by creating their own vinous neutral spirit from the grape pulp from Sussex vineyards.
This approach, which minimises waste from other industries and uses it in the production of neutral spirits, as well as considering alternative crops such as peas, means that the future for neutral spirits is both secure and sustainable.
