Sawdust brandy (from the German ''Holzbranntwein'') is a neutral spirit produced through the distillation of wood products. To produce sawdust brandy, the wood is cooked with a diluted

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

, which causes the cellulose to be broken down via acid hydrolysis into

dextrose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

and other simple sugars, while the

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...

remains. The acidic, sugar-containing liquid is neutralised and allowed to ferment, producing the ethanol that will later be purified through distillation. In the German Democratic Republic, the lye produced from the wood pulp was employed in the production of the ''Holzschnaps'' ("wood schnapps"). Brandy for human consumption (spirits diluted to drinking strength) produced in this method has no additional risks compared to

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

produced from

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

; it actually contains fewer

fusel oils Fusel alcohols or fuselol, also sometimes called fusel oils in Europe, are mixtures of several higher alcohols (those with more than two carbons, chiefly amyl alcohol) produced as a by-product of alcoholic fermentation. The word ''Fusel'' is Ger ...

than traditional distilling methods involving spirits from grain or fruit. In spite of this, German law governing spirit production (overseen by the ") forbids the use of sawdust brandy in the production of

alcoholic beverage An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

s. This ban stems from the purpose of the law as an agricultural subsidy, rather than out of public health concerns. Prior to modern, synthetic production methods, wood was also once commonly destructively distilled or dry distilled for the production of

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the formula C H3 O H (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often abbreviated as MeOH). It is a ...

(wood alcohol).

References

{{Wood products, state=collapsed Distilled drinks Wood products

See also

References