What happens to the fermented alcoholic liquid during distillation?

During distillation, the primary process involves heating the fermented alcoholic liquid, which causes the alcohol and other volatile compounds to vaporize. As the vapor rises through the still, it cools and condenses back into liquid form, effectively separating it from the majority of the water and other components with higher boiling points. This concentration process increases the alcohol content in the resulting distilled spirit.

The focus of distillation is to isolate and concentrate the alcohol, along with any desired flavors that may vaporize alongside it. This is essential in producing spirits, as it enables the creation of beverages with a higher alcoholic strength compared to the original fermented liquid.

Options that suggest dilution with water, flavoring with herbs, or carbon filtration do not accurately reflect the primary objective of the distillation process. While some spirits may be diluted post-distillation or flavored in other processes, these actions do not occur during distillation itself. Thus, the correct answer, highlighting the concentration of alcohol, accurately describes the fundamental purpose of distillation in spirit production.