🥛 Milk-based and rare distillates

Rare distillates are EU categories 12, 13 and 14: Hefebrand (a distillate of wine, beer or fruit yeast lees), beer spirit and Jerusalem artichoke spirit. Each must be at least 38% ABV; all three are described in Annex I of EU Regulation 2019/787. Close to them in spirit is the Mongolian milk distillate arkhi.

Hefebrand is made by distilling lees below 86% ABV. Beer spirit is made by direct distillation of fresh beer at normal pressure; the taste must come from the beer. Jerusalem artichoke spirit comes from Helianthus tuberosus tubers, fermented and distilled. Alcohol may not be added to them and they may not be flavoured, but they may be sweetened up to 20 g/l.

Arkhi, or shimiin arkhi, is a Mongolian distillate of fermented milk. According to Mongolia's National Centre for Cultural Heritage, 100 litres of soured milk yield 13–16 litres of arkhi of 10–14 degrees. The ethnologist Isabelle Bianquis describes it as distilled yoghurt, whereas airag is fermented mare's milk.

Mongols and Kazakhs are historically nomadic herders with ancient dairy traditions; airag, or kumis, has its own page on the site. The EU regulation has no separate category for arkhi.

Why it matters to you. The law requires the name “Hefebrand” to be supplemented with the raw material of the lees, and beer spirit is not whisky: whisky needs a malted mash and three years in wood. Milk arkhi is a traditional home drink; check origin and strength. WHO: no safe dose exists.

Other sections of this topic: Asian spirit traditions; Agave: tequila and mezcal; Ukrainian spirit traditions; Honey spirit drinks; Vodka and grain spirits; Fruit brandies; Rum and sugarcane spirits; How spirits are made. All sections are gathered on the “Spirits” page.