Abstract: A method of producing a potable spirit comprises removing water from a fermented wash containing ethanol, water and congeners to produce a substantially water-free mixture of ethanol and congeners, and then fractionally distilling this water-free mixture of ethanol and congeners in the absence of water to produce a fraction containing substantially pure water-free potable ethanol. Preferably the fractional distillation is carried out in separate topping and tailing columns. This method provides an energy efficient separation of the ethanol and congeners.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing water from a liquid mixture of water and ethanol contacts it with liquid carbon dioxide so that the ethanol is preferentially transferred into solution, dries the solution using an adsorbent, and then recovers dry ethanol by distilling off the carbon dioxide. This process is particularly energy efficient especially when it includes a fermentation process to generate the ethanol and uses the carbon dioxide generated during the fermentation as the source of liquid carbon dioxide. In this case the method and apparatus provide an additional product of dry carbon dioxide.