🥃 Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin

Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin is ethyl alcohol that the EU uses to make spirit drinks and their ingredients. It is obtained only from agricultural products: grain, potatoes, cane or beet molasses, grapes. Its strength is at least 96% ABV, and its flavour may come only from the raw material.

EU requirements. It is covered by Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787. Impurities are counted in grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol: methanol up to 30, total acidity up to 1.5, esters up to 1.3, aldehydes and higher alcohols up to 0.5, dry residue up to 1.5, volatile nitrogenous bases up to 0.1, and furfural must not be present at all.

What it is for. Vodka, gin, flavoured vodka, most liqueurs and infusions are made from this spirit. For vodka the requirement is stricter: no more than 10 g per hectolitre of methanol. In the US the closest concept is neutral spirits, spirit distilled to 95% ABV or higher; there, vodka is a neutral spirit with a small amount of sugar and citric acid.

How it differs from distillate. Whisky, brandy or rum are distilled to a lower strength so that the aroma of the raw material is kept: in the EU, whisky, for example, must be distilled below 94.8% ABV. Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, by contrast, is rectified almost to pure ethanol, so it is nearly neutral in taste and smell.

Why this matters to you. The words “ethyl alcohol” on the label of an EU liqueur or infusion mean agricultural-origin spirit with controlled impurities. But even the purest alcohol is ethanol, not a safer form of it. WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.