Distillates

The distillates are produced by the fermentation and subsequent distillation of an agricultural raw material... Rum or Rhum or Ron, whatever you prefer, is obtained from the processing of sugar cane, Calvados is a distillate of fermented apples, Single Malt Whiskey is the distillate of a fermented malt while Tequila is the distillate of fermented Agave Azul. An important exception to this is Gin, produced by the distillation of botanicals infused in neutral alcohol.

The type of still used will have a huge impact on the final distillate. Traditional stills, also known as pot-stills, will produce a more complex and nuanced distillate.

The single column alembic is more efficient in production but creates less concentrated and tasty distillates whereas the multi-column industrial alembic creates neutral distillates in which it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern the qualities of the raw material.

The distillates can then be "white" therefore young or aged. White distillates such as Gin, Fruit Distillates and some Tequila and Mezcal are almost never aged in barrels.

These distillates therefore highlight the primary aromas of the raw material. The aged wines, on the other hand, after distillation are left to mature in barrels and barriques.
During this process they acquire complex tertiary notes but at the same time lose some of the primary notes typical of the raw material from which they are produced.