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A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables. This excludes undistilled fermented beverages such as beer, wine, and hard cider. The term hard liquor is used in North America to distinguish distilled beverages from undistilled ones (implicitly weaker). Beer and wine are limited to a maximum alcohol content of about 15% ABV, as most yeasts cannot reproduce when the concentration of alcohol is above this level; consequently, fermentation ceases at that point. 
An old whiskey still. 
A display of spirits in a supermarket. The term spirit refers to a distilled beverage that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% ABV. Popular spirits include brandy, fruit brandy (also known as eau-de-vie / Schnapps), gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whisky. Distilled beverages that are bottled with added sugar and added flavorings, such as Grand Marnier, Frangelico, and American schnapps, are liqueurs. In common usage, the distinction between spirits and liqueurs is widely unknown or ignored; consequently all alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine are generally referred to simply as spirits. Fortified wines are created by adding a distilled beverage (often brandy) to a wine. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Manufacture of other non-distilled fermented beverages |
