Distiller

“ One single and same distillation can therefore yield to the distiller either gin or whiskey, as it requires no more labor, and its conversion into gin costs only the price of the berries, which repays him amply, either by the spirit it yields, or by its essential oil, which, floating on the surface, may be easily collected. ”

“ He is careful that his distiller does his duty, of which he can be assured only, by rising at four o'clock, winter and summer, to see if the distiller is up and at his business, and that every thing is going well—and to prepare every thing and article necessary—to attend and see the hogs fed, and that the potale or slop be cold when given, and that the cattle be slopped—that the stills are not burning, nor the casks leaking, &c. ”

“ We extract from Fruits, at least from some, Colour, Taste, &c.
From aromatic Plants, the Distiller draws Spirits, Essences, simple and compound Waters.
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From Spices are procured Essences, or in the Language of the Chemists, Oils, and Perfumes, and also pure Spirits.
From Seeds or Berries are drawn simple Waters, pure Spirits; and from some, as those of Anise, Fennel, and Juniper, Oil.
The Colour of Flowers is extracted by Infusion, and likewise by Digestion in Brandy or Spirit of Wine: The Smell is extracted by Distillation; the simple Water with Brandy or Spirit of Wine. ”

“ But to return to the distillery: you will see that the processes which the grain has gone through of mashing, fermenting, and the extraction of the spirits from the beer by distillation, and the placing of the completed product in the distillery bonded warehouse, are all done under the supervision of a Government officer, and thus far the distiller has had no opportunity, even if he had any desire, to adulterate the liquor. ”

“ In short, the distiller ought to have his mashing finished by twelve o'clock every day, to see and have every thing in the still house, under his eye at the same time; but he ought never to attempt doing more than one thing at once—a distiller ought never to be in a hurry, but always busy. I have always remarked that the bustling unsteady distiller attempts doing two or three things at once, and rarely ever has his business in the same state of forwardness with the steady methodical character. ”

“ I do not mean to say that the quantity of four gallons can be made at an average, in every distillery, with every sort of grain, and water, or during every vicissitude of weather, and by every distiller, but this far I will venture to say, that a still house that is kept in complete order, with good water, grain well chopped, good malt, hops, and above all good yeast; together with an apt, careful and industrious distiller, cannot fail to produce at an average for eight months in the year, three and three quarter gallons from the bushel at a moderate calculation. ”

“ The exertions of the distiller are directed, as much as possible, to lessen the formation of fusel oil during the fermentation of his ‘worts,’ and to eliminate, during the distillation and rectification of his liquors, the greatest possible proportion of that with which they may be contaminated. ”

“ The question of special de-naturants is one of great importance to the manufacturer, and should be carefully studied. The distiller who succeeds on a large scale will be he who is most expert in preparing alcohol specially de-natured to suit the requirements of the various arts. Germany has done most in this line, and the German practice should be carefully studied. ”

“ The first is, to prevent the Loss the Distiller would incur without that Precaution, and so prevent any Alteration in the Liquor procured by Distillation. This we shall illustrate by an Example. Suppose a Distiller should attempt to rectify Spirits of Wine, without putting Water in the Alembic. It 50 is evident, that the Fire will consume Part of it, which is entirely loss, because the same Quantity of Spirit cannot be procured from it, which might, had there been any thing to moderate the Action of the Fire, which now preyed upon it. ”

“ Could the American farmer be brought to raise a larger quantity of potatoes than necessary for his consumption at home, the price would be lowered, and the distiller might commence the distillation of them with greater propriety. That they contain a great deal and a very good spirit, I am certain, and moreover, after distillation will yield as great a quantity of good wholesome food for cattle or hogs, as rye or any other grain. ”

“ That section requires the distiller to furnish to the assessor an accurate plan of the distillery and distilling apparatus, showing the location and mode of construction of the apparatus and the cubical contents of each vessel. Undoubtedly the main elements necessary for a determination of the producing capacity are the size of the stills, mash-tubs, and cisterns, and the duration of the fermenting period. There is unquestionably, in the nature of things, a true fermenting period, dependent on the operation of natural processes, a period which may be variant from that selected by a distiller. ”

“ The distiller must provide all scales, weighing beams, and other appliances necessary for transferring the de-naturing materials gauging or handling the alcohol, or testing any of the measures, receptacles or gauges used in the warehouse, and also a sufficient number of competent employees for the work. ”

“ Under these circumstances, the distiller has no alternative but to run off his wash into the stills, although they may be as high as 10 or 12 degrees above water, or occasionally of much higher gravity.
“But the chemical agency exercised by a highly electrical state of the atmosphere, is not confined solely to the fermentation of vegetable substances; it affects even the smelting of iron. ”

“ Distillation.—The primary object of the distillation of all fermented liquids is that of separating, as far as possible, alcohol from the non-volatile constituents of the wash. In the second place the object of the distiller is to rectify and concentrate the dilute alcoholic liquid obtained by simple distillation. The degree and manner of rectification and concentration vary in accordance with the type of spirit to be produced, and it will be better therefore to discuss methods of distillation under the headings of the different types of spirit concerned. ”

“ A distillery must not, without permission, be carried on at a greater distance than half a mile from a market town, nor may it be situated within a quarter of a mile from a rectifying establishment. A distiller must give notice of the erection of new plant or apparatus, of the time of brewing, of the removing of sugar from store or of yeast from wort or wash, of the making of " bub," of the locking of the spirit receiver supply pipe, &c. ”

“ It is common with Distillers, in order to increase the Quantity of Spirit, give it a particular Flavour, or improve its Vinosity, to add several things to the Liquor, during the Time it is in a State of Fermentation ”

“ Those of the distiller of whiskey are 100lbs. of grain to 100 gallons of water, or thereabouts: 100lbs. of grain contain only 16lbs. of dry sweet matter: therefore, as the 100 gallons of vinous liquor weigh 800lbs. the 16lbs. of sugar form only its fiftieth part.
Thence is seen how inferior the proportions of the whiskey distiller are to those of the brewer, and how far they are from good theory. But the brewer aims only at producing a sort of wine, and succeeds; while, the distiller wants to make spirit, and only obtains it in the manner the most expensive, and opposed to his own interest. ”

“ If a distiller does not by a most industrious well-timed care and attention, preserve every utensil perfectly sweet and clean, he may expect, notwithstanding he has well attended to the other branches, but indifferent whiskey and not much of it.
If, for instance, every article, or only one article in the composition of yeast be sour or dirty, that one article will most assuredly injure the whole; which being put into a hogshead of mashed grain, soon imparts its acidity or filth to the whole mass, and of course will reduce the quantity and quality of the spirit yielded from that hogshead. ”

“ One of the greatest Advantages of this Contrivance is, that Waters so drawn come over much cooler than from the hot Still; that is, they have not so much of the Fire in them, as the Distillers term it; so that a hot spicy Water, thus ordered, will taste as cool on the Palate when just drawn, as it would, when drawn by the hot Still, after it had acquired a considerable Age. ”

“ Experience demonstrates, that when the Spirits flow hot into the Receiver, however attentive the Distiller may be to lute the Junctures of the Alembic, there will be a very sensible Evaporation, which even in simple Waters greatly depreciates the Goodness of the Liquor. ”

“ The materials most frequently employed are maize, rye, barley malt, raw barley, oats, wheat and potatoes. Comparing the main operations (apart from the actual process of distillation) of the brewer with those of the distiller, it is true that these are identical in the sense that they consist in the conversion of starch into sugar and of the latter into alcohol ”

“ Whenever a distiller wishes to commence the business of de-naturing alcohol he must make written application to the collector of the district in which the distillery is located for the approval of a de-naturing bonded warehouse. ”

“ Neither the joints, the different pipes of communication, nor the nailings, must leave the smallest passage to the vapors. The workman must pay the greatest attention to his work, and the distiller must lute exactly all the parts of the apparatus that are susceptible of it: he must be the more careful as to luting it, as this operation is only performed once a week, when the apparatus is cleaned. At the moment of the distillation, the master or his foreman must carefully observe whether there is any waste of vapors, and remedy it instantly. The still and urns ought to be well tinned. ”

“ The earth producing the grain, hops and utensils, which a combination of fire and water reduces into a liquid by fermentation, and when placed in the still to see air engaging fire to assist her in reducing the liquid that fire and water had produced, into a vapour, or air, and afterwards to see fire abandoning air, and assisting water to reduce it into a liquid by means of the condensing tubes, and then to consider the number of hands employed in keeping the distillery a going, will present one other patriotic idea. ”

“ The movable arm fixed on to the pipe leading from the condensing coil can be actuated from without by the distiller. In this way the distiller is able to regulate the distillation at will without having access to the spirit. The quality of the spirit coming over is judged by means of the apparatus contained in the sampling safe. This is another closed vessel containing hydrometer jars fitted with hydrometers, and with a water supply. ”

“ A pump to empty the hogsheads, and covered pipes to conduct the liquor into the still, is what has been found to answer that purpose. A good distilling apparatus is undoubtedly the most important part of a distillery. It must unite solidity, perfection in its joints, economy of fuel, rapidity of distillation, to the faculty of concentrating the spirit. ”

“ One hogshead of 100 gallons, should contain, according to Lavoisier's composition, the elements of 50 gallons of spirit, at 19°; whilst that of the rum distiller contains only 12. Now, as every fermentable liquor requires open vessels, the hogshead of the rum distiller loses as much spirit as that of Lavoisier: hence it is plain how far the above proportion operates to the disadvantage of the fermer.
3dly. Another source of loss arises in the distilling vessels themselves. Nothing is more imperfect than the stills of a whiskey distillery. ”

“ When all the wash has been distilled, the articles employed are carefully hidden, a favourite place for the still and worm being under water in the neighbouring stream. Then nothing remains but the distribution of the spirits in such a manner as to realise a handsome profit. This is an operation demanding all the craft of the distiller. ”

“ Distilleries, big and little, are likely to be set up all over the country, and the time is not far distant when the farmer will be able to carry his corn to his local distillery, and either return with the money in his pocket, or with fuel for farm engines, machinery, and perchance his automobile.
When our government shall have become as far-sighted as the German government in this matter, every farmer will be able to manufacture his own de-natured spirits. ”

“ If distillers could conveniently place their liquor in a high loft, and suffer it to fall to the cellar by a pipe, it would be greatly improved by the friction and ebullition occasioned in the descent and fall. ”

“ And this is not all: corroded by the acetous acid, they are full of small holes, particularly in the cap, where all the vapors collect themselves, as in a reservoir. It is easy to conceive with what rapidity they escape, which occasions a considerable waste of liquor. In proof of the truth of this observation, we may refer to the smell of whiskey, so strongly perceivable on the roads leading to a distillery, and preceeding from no other cause than that liquor wasting out of bad vessels, to the great loss of the distiller. ”

“ When the thick turbid Wash must be immediately committed to the Still. And thus the two Operations of Brewing and Fermenting may very commodiously be reduced to one, to the no small Profit and Advantage of the Distiller.
The second Particular to be attended to, is, that the Water be good, and properly applied. Rain Water is the best adapted to Brewing; for it not only extracts the Tincture of the Malt better than any other; but also abounds in fermentable Parts, whereby the Operation is quickened, and the Yield of the Spirit increased. ”