What is the meaning of wine and spirits? These two terms are incredibly complex and riddled with competing theories. The first, and perhaps most important, definition involves the use of “al- ghawl” or “spirit,” a term that appears in the Qur’an verse 37:47. It is the essence or spirit of a liquid that is captured through distillation. Both Brandy and Rum are considered wine and spirits.

Distillation is the process of capturing the essence or spirit of a liquid

While it sounds like a science fiction movie, distillation is the method of extracting the essence or spirit of a liquid, often a substance such as water or wine. This process separates the gross from the subtle, and makes the spiritual lighter. In alcohol production, distillation is used to convert lower-alcohol liquids into spirits. Alchemists believed that distillation could extract the water of life, and the essence of spirits.

Alcohol is