Method for rapid maturation of distilled spirits using light and heat processes

A process for producing a mature spirit, the process comprising:

• (a) providing heat to a mixture consisting essentially of an unmatured distilled spirit and wood;
• to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and about 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to give a heat-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (b) removing an amount of heat-treated distilled spirit mixture from step (a);
• (c) contacting the removed amount of heat-treated distilled spirit mixture with wood and actinic light at a wavelength spectrum ranging from 400 nm to 1000 nm for from about 12 to about 96 hours to yield a heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (d) transferring the heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture or a portion thereof to the remaining heat-treated distilled spirit mixture from step (a) or a portion thereof to yield a combined mixture of heat-treated distilled spirit and heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit;
• (e) providing heat to the combined mixture of heat-treated distilled spirit and heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit from step (d) or portion thereof to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F and about 170° F for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to produce the mature spirit;
• and
• (f) percolating air through the mature spirit of step (e) in a container with a headspace at a gauge pressure between about −25 inHg and about −30 inHg until the alcohol concentration of the mature spirit is reduced by between about 1% and about 2% by volume and until the total volume of the mature spirit is reduced by about 10% or less.

A process for producing a mature spirit, the process comprising:

• (a) providing heating to a mixture consisting essentially of an unmatured distilled spirit and wood, to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to give a heat-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (b) removing an amount of heat-treated distilled spirit mixture from step (a);
• (c) contacting the removed amount of heat-treated distilled spirit mixture with wood and actinic light at a wavelength spectrum ranging from 400 nm to 1000 nm for at least two hours to yield a heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (d) transferring the heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture or a portion thereof to an amount of an unmatured distilled spirit to give a combined mixture of unmatured distilled spirit and heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit;
• and
• (e) providing heat to the combined mixture of unmatured distilled spirit and heat-treated and actinic light-treated distilled spirit from step (d) or portion thereof to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and about 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to produce the unmature spirit.

A process for producing a mature spirit, the process comprising:

• (a) contacting a mixture consisting essentially of a first unmatured distilled spirit with wood and actinic light at a wavelength spectrum ranging from 400 nm to 1000 nm for at least two hours to yield an actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (b) transferring the actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture or a portion thereof to a second unmatured distilled spirit or a portion thereof to yield a combined mixture of heat-treated distilled spirit and unmatured distilled spirit;
• and
• (c) providing heat to the combined mixture of heat-treated distilled spirit and second unmatured distilled spirit from step (b) or portion thereof to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and about 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to produce the mature spirit.

A process for producing a mature spirit, the process comprising:

• (a) contacting a first mixture consisting essentially of an unmatured distilled spirit with wood and actinic light at a wavelength spectrum ranging from 400 nm to 1000 nm for at least two hours to yield an actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (b) providing heat to a second mixture consisting essentially of an unmatured distilled spirit and wood to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and about 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to yield a heat-treated distilled spirit mixture;
• (c) combining the actinic light-treated distilled spirit mixture or a portion thereof and the heat-treated distilled spirit mixture or a portion thereof to yield a combined mixture of an actinic light-treated distilled spirit and heat-treated distilled spirit;
• and
• (d) providing heat to the actinic light-treated distilled spirit and heat-treated distilled spirits of step (c) or portion thereof to maintain a temperature of between about 140° F. and about 170° F. for about 12 hours to about 336 hours to yield a mature spirit.