What is neutral spirit in arrack?

Neutral spirit, sometimes called rectified spirit or extra neutral alcohol, is alcohol distilled in column stills to around 95 per cent strength. At that strength, almost all flavour compounds are removed, leaving a clean, neutral alcohol.

It can be made from any fermentable material. In Sri Lanka it is usually made from sugarcane molasses, a by-product of sugar production, which is cheap and available in volume.

Vodka is essentially neutral spirit diluted with water. In arrack, it serves as a base to which coconut arrack adds flavour.

Column stills make neutral spirit possible. Unlike traditional pot stills, which distil in batches and keep more flavour, column stills run continuously and can strip almost everything but ethanol and water. Many arrack producers run both kinds of still, using pot or lower-strength column spirit for coconut arrack and high-strength column spirit for neutral spirit.

Coconut arrack is expensive, because each litre needs roughly eight to ten litres of hand-tapped toddy. Neutral spirit costs a fraction as much. Blending the two lets producers offer arrack at prices most Sri Lankans can afford.

Neutral spirit also gives a lighter, smoother drink that suits long drinks with soda, cola or ginger beer, the way most arrack is drunk.

Toddy supply varies with season and weather; neutral spirit does not. Using it helps producers keep volume and consistency steady.

Neutral spirit also gives producers flexibility in blending. Because it adds almost no flavour, it lets them stretch a limited supply of coconut arrack across a large volume of everyday bottles while keeping the house character recognisable from batch to batch.

Everyday special and extra special arracks are mostly neutral spirit, with a smaller share of coconut arrack for character and often caramel for colour.

Mid-range old and double distilled arracks carry more coconut arrack but are usually still blends containing neutral spirit.

Pure coconut arrack, young or aged, contains no neutral spirit and says so with 100 per cent coconut wording. Palmyrah arrack is generally sold as a straightforward palm spirit, though labels vary.

Neutral spirit dilutes coconut flavour. The more neutral spirit in a bottle, the lighter, cleaner and sweeter it tastes, and the fainter the coconut fruit and flowers.

Neat, a mostly neutral blend tastes thin, with a short finish. With mixers, that lightness becomes an advantage, blending smoothly with ginger beer or cola.

Lankan Stays & Trails guides can show the difference in a simple tasting: an everyday blend beside a pure coconut arrack makes neutral spirit's effect obvious.

A simple home test shows the effect. Pour a small measure of an everyday blend and a pure coconut arrack, add a few drops of water to each and smell them. The blend changes little; the coconut arrack blooms with fruit and flowers. That gap is largely the neutral spirit.

Neutral spirit is not unsafe or illegitimate. Licensed neutral spirit is made under regulation, and using it in arrack is long-established, legal practice.

It is a question of style and value. Neutral-heavy blends are good mixing spirits at low prices. Pure coconut arrack is the choice for flavour, sipping and gifts.

The important thing is knowing which you are buying, so read the label.

Look for 100 per cent coconut or pure coconut wording. Without it, assume the bottle contains neutral spirit, especially at the lowest prices.

Strength helps: everyday blends usually sit at roughly 33 to 34 per cent, pure coconut often roughly 36 to 40. Smell helps too: neutral-heavy blends smell of clean alcohol and sweetness rather than fruit and flowers.

When unsure, ask staff in a licensed wine store.