What is the difference between an Officer's choice whisky, brandy and rum?

There are different types of alcoholic beverages prepared from different fermented mash. Whisky, brandy and rum all contain alcohol but the difference lies in the raw materials used to produce them. 

Alcoholic beverages are produced through the process of malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation, ageing and bottling. Whisky is produced from grains like wheat, malted barley, corn, rye and buckwheat. Brandy is made from pomace or wine. Rum is made from sugarcane molasses, juice and syrup.

One of the Indian brands is Officer’s Choice (OC) and it offers alcoholic beverages like whisky, brandy and rum. Whisky is a balanced malt blend and is an international favourite. Brandy is made from mature grape spirits and select natural ingredients. Rum is dark and has a fruit quality.

Alcoholic beverages

Whisky
The grains are soaked and allowed to germinate. Once the sprouts appear the grains are dried. The grains are mixed with water and mashed. The enzymes from the sprouted grains help to convert the scratch into fermentable sugars. This mixture is then fermented by adding yeast. 

In the fermentation process, the sugar is broken down into ethanol, congeners and carbon dioxide. This mixture is distilled to get pure ethanol. This alcohol is stored in charred white oak barrels and allowed to age. It is aged for 1 - 2 years. During this period the alcohol reacts with the wood and develops colour, flavour and taste. Once the whiskey matures it is bottled.

Brandy 
This is made from pomace which is the solid remains of grapes or other fruits after the juice is pressed. It can also be produced by distilling base wine. It is made from early grapes to get a higher concentration of acids and a lower sugar level. The raw material is allowed to ferment by adding yeast and water. 

Usually, a pot still or column still is used for distillation from pomace. Brandy is distilled from base wine in two stages. Once distilled the alcohol is aged in oak barrels to mature. After ageing the brandy is diluted to the required strength and bottled.

Rum
Rum is made from sugarcane molasses and/or sugarcane juice and sugarcane syrup. The sugar-rich raw material is mixed with water. Yeast is added to allow fermentation to take place and the sugar is converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide.

The mixture is distilled using a column still to get alcohol. The alcohol is aged for at least 1 year in used Bourbon casks or stainless steel tanks or other wooden casks. Rum gets its colour during the ageing process. When aged in an oak cask it develops a dark colour and when it is aged in stainless steel tanks it remains colourless. After ageing the rum is blended to get the desired flavour.