Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Single Barrel • Bond Storage • Filtration

Distillation

Term from Spirits Production industry explained for recruiters

Distillation is a fundamental process in making spirits like whiskey, vodka, and gin. It's a method of separating alcohol from other liquids by heating and cooling, similar to how water evaporates and forms clouds. In the spirits industry, distillers use special equipment called stills to concentrate alcohol and capture the desired flavors from fermented ingredients. This process requires careful control of temperature and timing to create high-quality spirits. When you see this term on a resume, it typically means the person has experience operating distillation equipment or managing the distillation process in a commercial spirits production environment.

Examples in Resumes

Managed Distillation processes for premium whiskey production, maintaining consistent quality standards

Operated and maintained Distillation equipment for craft spirits manufacturing

Supervised Distillation operations producing 50,000 gallons of spirits annually

Typical job title: "Distillers"

Also try searching for:

Distiller Spirits Production Manager Distillery Operator Production Distiller Head Distiller Craft Distiller Spirits Production Specialist

Where to Find Distillers

Professional Organizations

Online Communities

Job Resources

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you manage quality control throughout the distillation process?

Expected Answer: A senior distiller should discuss monitoring temperatures, checking alcohol content at different stages, ensuring consistency between batches, and maintaining detailed production records. They should mention safety protocols and regulatory compliance.

Q: What experience do you have with scaling up distillation operations?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate knowledge of increasing production capacity, managing larger equipment, coordinating staff, and maintaining quality during growth. Should discuss problem-solving and efficiency improvements.

Mid Level Questions

Q: Explain how you would troubleshoot common distillation problems.

Expected Answer: Should be able to describe common issues like temperature fluctuations, equipment maintenance needs, and quality inconsistencies, along with practical solutions they've implemented.

Q: What factors affect the quality of the final distilled product?

Expected Answer: Should discuss ingredients quality, fermentation process, temperature control, equipment cleanliness, and timing of different production stages.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What safety measures are important during distillation?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate basic knowledge of fire safety, proper ventilation, emergency procedures, and handling of alcohol-based products safely.

Q: Describe the basic steps of the distillation process.

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain the fundamental stages: fermentation, heating, vaporization, and condensation in simple terms, showing understanding of basic production flow.