Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Spirits Practice Exam 2025 - Free WSET Level 2 Spirits Practice Questions and Study Guide

A column still, also known as a continuous still, is designed to produce high-strength spirits efficiently. The process involves multiple distillation stages, allowing for the separation of alcohol from other components based on their boiling points.

In terms of Alcohol by Volume (ABV), the highest concentration achievable in a column still is around 96%. This is due to the physical principles governing distillation, where water and alcohol have different boiling points, and the configuration of the still facilitates the continuous action of vaporization and condensation.

Though higher ABV levels (like 98%) may be referenced in some contexts, achieving anything above 96% ABV in a column still is impractical due to the presence of water and other non-volatile compounds that do not separate completely from the alcohol. Hence, 96% is accepted as the maximum that can be effectively and consistently produced using this method.