TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The ethanol composition (C1) comprises: ethanol (92-99 wt.%); and water (7-8 wt.%). The composition further comprises: acetaldehyde (less than 18 wppm); methanol (less than 40 wppm); diethyl acetal (less than 10, preferably less than 5 wppm); chlorine (less than 40 wppm); copper (less than 10 wppm); sulfur (less than 50 wppm); sulfates (less than 10 wppm); and phosphorus (less than 2 mg/l). The ethanol is not derived from fermentation. The composition is preferably substantially methanol-free or comprises no methanol, no chlorine, no copper, no sulfur, no sulfates, and no phosphorus. The composition has a pH of 6-9.5, and the total acidity, as acetic acid, is less than 0.01 wppm. The composition comprises branched alcohols (0.5-1.5 wt.%). The composition comprises alcohols other than ethanol in an amount of (less than 350 wppm). The ethanol composition (C1) is selected from 15 compositions as given in the specification; e.g. (i): ethanol composition comprising: (a) ethanol (at least 85 wt.%); (b) water (less than 8 wt.%); (c) isopropanol (95-850 wppm); (d) methanol; and (e) (C6+) alcohols; where the amount of methanol and (C6+) alcohols, combined, is less than 50 wppm; and the composition further comprises diethyl acetal (0.1-10 wppm), and (C6+) alcohols (less than 10 wppm); or (ii): the composition comprising: (a) ethanol (at least 85, preferably 92-96 wt.%); (b) isopropanol (95-850 wppm); and (c) diethyl acetal (less than 10 wppm); the composition comprises water (more than 3, preferably up to 12 wt.%), methanol (less than 40 wppm), acetaldehyde (less than 18 wppm), 4-5C alcohols (less than 22 wppm), and is free of (C6+) alcohols; the composition is derived from the hydrogenation of acetic acid; where the acetic acid is formed from methanol and carbon monoxide, where each of the methanol, the carbon monoxide, and hydrogen for the hydrogenating step is derived from syngas, and the syngas is derived from a carbon source selected from natural gas, oil, petroleum, coal, and/or biomass; or (iii): ethanol composition comprising: (a) ethanol (50-99 wt.%); (b) at least one denaturant selected from ethyl acetate, acetaldehyde, acetone, acetal, and n-propanol (at least 1 wt.%); and (c) isopropanol (95-850 wppm); where the denaturant is an in situ denaturant, the acetal comprises diethyl acetal, the composition further comprising: (d) methanol; and (e) (C6+) alcohols, where the combined amount of methanol and (C6+) alcohols is less than 60 wppm. EXAMPLE - A composition comprising: ethanol (92.7 wt.%), water (7.4 wt.%), acetic acid (14 weight ppm (wppm)), ethyl acetate (70 wppm), isopropanol (110 wppm), n-propanol (160 wppm), C4 alcohols (21 wppm), (C2+) alcohols (291 wppm), acetaldehyde (5 wppm), diethyl acetal (1 wppm), and methanol (not detectable), was obtained by reacting a vaporized feed comprising acetic acid (95.2 wt.%) and water (4.6 wt.%) with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst comprising platinum (1.6 wt.%) and tin (1 wt.%) supported on 1/8 inch calcium silicate modified silica extrudates at 291 degrees C, and pressure of 2.063 kPa. The crude products were purified by distillation.