Attached my study note for WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits. I have also included a mini Q&A that posted answers to questions that I have raised while studying the course material. The material presented in Q&A might not be relevant to the examination and at times might not be included in the course material.

This section contains comparison of the different spirits type in terms of locations, raw materials, fermentation process, distillation, post-distillation, aromas, flavor, blending, colors, sweetness and other short notes.

Type	Cognac	Vodka	Whiskey	Scotch Whiskey	USA Whiskey
Location	Only South-West of France, North of Bordeaux	Anywhere in the world	Made throughout the world with best known region Scotland, USA, Ireland, Canada, Japan	Must be distilled in Scotland and aged for a minimum of 3 years. We can have single malt or blended whiskey	Bourbon can be made anywhere in USA. Tennessee whiskey can only be made in Tennessee. Most whiskey are made in Kentucky. Both are the border states divided by their loyalties during the American Civil War.
Raw Material	Grapes	Any raw material， more popular types are grains based ： 1. barley 2. wheat 3. rye 4. potatoes	Must be made of grains Most important one are： 1. barley 2. corn 3. rye	Single Malt :100% malted barley. Blended Whiskey: blend of malt whiskies and grain whiskies from different distilleries	1. For Bourbon 51% must be corn. Others can be barley and rye. 2. For USA Rye Whiskey, 51% of the grain must be Rye. Rye from other countries varies in compositions.
Fermentation	Fermenting grape juice	Fermenting sugarly liquid from raw material	Starch are converted into sugar before fermentation can start. 1. Malting [add water to start barley grow and than use hot air to stop the growth] 2. Crushed and mixed with water , yeast (enzymes) and maybe others grains
Distillation	By law, double distilled in pot still	Neutral spirit 95% abv (USA) 96% abv (Europe) using column still	Either Column or pot can be used if not limited by law	Single Malt Whiskey : Pot stills, and for single malt it comes from only single distillery. Blended Whiskey : Column still for grain base whiskey, malt based whiskey is from pot stills	Typically using column still
Post-Distillation	Must be aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years	Unaged and reduced to bottle strength of 40% abv	Aged in oak and blended typically, diluted to typically 40% abv for bottling		1. For both Rye and Bourbon whiskey in USA, it has to be aged in new charred oak barrel. 2. Tennessee Whiskey needs to pass through acharcoal filter before putting into oak
Aroma	Fruity and Flora. Old cognac develop: 1. fruit cake 2. leather 3. wood polish	Some hint of raw materials will show on the nose and palete	Barley – Cereal Corn – Sweetcorn Rye – Spicy and peppery	Blended : light aroma intensity and smooth texture	Rye : Spicy Peppery
Flavour	Vanilla Toast	It has no flavour		Cereal Fruits Fruit cake Flowers Honey Sweet spices SMOKE	Cereal Fruit Sweet corn Vanilla Coconut For Tennessee Whiskey, the filtering does not adds flavor.
Blending	Nearly all cognac are blended		Typically blended	Single malt is not blended. Others can be e.g. Jonnie Walker Blue label
Colors	Caramels are added frequently	Clear	Caramels if necessary and permitted
Sugar	Frequently added	No	No	No	No
Notes	VS 2 ： years VSOP ：4 years XO ：10 years	Vodka is a neutral spirit because at 95% abv it has no flavour. Because of this, it is good for mixed drinks and cocktails		Some pot still distilled Irish Whiskey are made on unmalted barley which has a distinct nutty and oily character.	Rye is the signature flavor of the best Canadian Whiskey. OB: Official Bottle IB: Independent Bottle Tabasco uses bourbon cask for fermentation.