The Chemistry (oh boy, this gets technical)
You probably know that alcohol, official name is ethanol or ethyl alcohol, is the result of a chemical reaction called “fermentation” between two compounds, a sugary substance and water. This reaction only takes place when a catalyst, the yeast, is present and when the temperature is ideal.
The yeast does not take part in the chemical reaction, it only facilitates it. Selecting the right strain of yeast, suitable for the Aruba environment, is the foundation for a premium product.
Yeast is a living single cell micro-organism that has a sweet tooth, it lives of sugar. Yeast’s scientific name is Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which quite literally means “sugar-eating fungus”.
The sugary substance can be from fruits, potatoes, grains, vegitables or sugar-based crops.
To create a premium spirit you need to understand what takes place on a molecular level.
Yeast is looking for sugar molecules, sucrose (C12H22O11), glucose (C6H12O6) and fructose (C6H12O6).
Sucrose is a di-saccharide (what, come again…), a double sugar formed by a glucose and a fructose molecule. Yeast cannot handle di-saccharides, it cannot bite off more than it can chew, the molecule is simply too big.
The yeast enzymes initiate a hydrolysis process during which the sucrose molecules (C12H22O11), in the precense of water (H2O), are split into one glucose and one fructose molecule.
Glucose and fructose are mono-saccharides (huh, what the heck……) which are single or simple sugar molecules. The yeast likes these and converts each molecule into two alcohol (ethanol) molecules (C2H6O) and two carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules.
This process takes place as long as there is glucose and fructose left to ferment. However, as ethanol is being formed, the alcohol percentage (ABV) of the liquid increases and eventually this alcohol will kill the yeast and stop the fermentation.
Red Anchor premium spirits contain 40% alcohol ABV, the other 60% consists of prestine Aruban water.
For a premium spirit the water must be of extremely pure quality or it will offset the intended flavor and bouquet of the end product. Luckily in Aruba, due to the SWRO (Sea Water Reverse Osmosis) technology combined with a lime stone re-mineralization system, we enjoy the drinking water that is amongst the purest and finest in the world.
Audits by the U.S. National Testing Laboratories keep a keen eye on it that our water quality exceeds the strictest of standards such as from the WHO (World Health Organization).
Our Red Anchor products reflect this.
At Red Anchor our spirits undergo one final step in the process. All our spirits are passed through a gravity fed activated coconut carbon filter.
This time consuming process eliminates the last, if any, impurities that might still be present. It results in an extremely pure, smooth and premium spirit with none of the “bad stuff” and all of the “good stuff”.
Difficult ? Absolutely.
Impossible ? Heck no.
What is the difference between yeast to make alcohol and yeast to make bread ?
In short, absolutely nothing. Although there are over 1,500 different strains of yeast, the bread and alcohol making processes are identical. Yeast is the catalyst that facilitates fermentation during which ethanol and carbon dioxide is formed. The difference lies in the purpose of the end products.
To produce alcohol, we are interested in capturing the ethanol molecules and let the carbon dioxide escape from the fermentation container.
To make bread, the carbon dioxide raises the dough and makes it fluffy. The ethanol simply evaporates while the bread is being baked.
Passionately handcrafted, distilled, bottled & aged in small batches on Aruba.
