What does the term 'distillation' refer to?

The term 'distillation' refers to the process of heating a liquid to create vapor and then cooling that vapor to condense it back into a liquid form. This technique is primarily used to separate components based on differences in boiling points. In the context of spirit production, distillation is a crucial step that helps in concentrating alcohol and removing impurities from the liquid. The vaporization allows for the separation of the desired alcohol from the initial mixture, and upon cooling, the process yields a stronger spirit.

While aging spirits in barrels, mixing different alcohol types, and flavoring spirits are important processes in the production and enhancement of alcoholic beverages, they do not represent the fundamental definition of distillation itself. Therefore, the focus on the heating and cooling process accurately captures what distillation entails in relation to alcohol production.