Profession liquor blender

Liquor blenders regauge, filter, rectify, blend and verify proof of alcoholic drinks before these are prepared for bottling. For the purpose, they tend equipment and machinery to perform each one of these processes.

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Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Range of spirits

  Spirits and their combination for developing the final product such as whisky, vodka, cognac.

• Appropriate raw materials for specific spirits

  Raw materials, such as grains, potatoes, sugars or fruit which can be fermented to produce a specific type of alcoholic spirits.

• Temperature scales

  Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales.

• Spirits development

  Processes related to the manufacture of aged and unaged spirits. Under the category of unaged spirits fall vodka and gin. Under the category of aged products fall whisky, rum, and brandy.

Skills

• Mix spirit flavourings according to recipe

  Mix flavourings and other ingredients such as fruit acids to produce brandies, cordials, and fortified beverages.

• Examine production samples

  Examine production samples visually or manually to verify properties such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, humidity and texture.

• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages

  Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.

• Clean food and beverage machinery

  Clean machinery used for food or beverage production processes. Prepare the appropriate solutions for cleaning. Prepare all parts and assure that they are clean enough to avoid deviation or errors in the production process.

• Work according to recipe

  Perform tasks in food preparation according to recipe or specification in order to preserve the quality of ingredients and to ensure replication accuracy of the recipe. Select the appropriate materials to follow the recipe, taking into account the current situation.

• Create new recipes

  Combine innovative and creative ideas to come up with new recipes and preparations to extend the product of range of a company. Make modifications to recipes in order to enhance taste, reach productivity goals, develop and improve products.

• Carry out checks of production plant equipment

  Carry out checks of the machinery and equipment used in the production plant. Ensure that the machinery is working properly, set machines before usage, and assure continuous operability of the equipment.

• Apply HACCP

  Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

• Take measures against flammability

  Take measures against fire. Liquor that contains 40% ABV will catch fire if heated to about 26 °C and if an ignition source is applied to it. The flash point of pure alcohol is 16.6 °C.

• Prepare containers for beverage distillation

  Prepare containers or drums for beverage distillation. Prepare equipment for the process of purification and removal of diluting components like water, for the purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol content.

• Blend beverages

  Master blending beverages as to create new beverage products that are attractive to the market, interesting to companies, and innovative in the market.

• Measure pH

  Measuring pH which is a measure of acidity or alkalinity.

• Check bottles for packaging

  Check bottles for packaging. Apply bottle testing procedures to verify if the bottle is fit for containing food and beverage products. Follow legal or company specifications for bottling.

• Apply GMP

  Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

• Execute proofs of alcohol mixture

  Measure temperature (using e.g. thermometer) and specific gravity (using e.g. alcohol-proof hydrometer) and compare readings with tables from standard gauging manuals to determine proof of mixture.

• Work in a food processing team

  Collaborate in a team with other food processing professionals in service of the food and beverages industry.

• Collect samples for analysis

  Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB