DISTILLATION
HISTORY
• Distilling was used as early as 3500
BC in Mesopotamia where perfume makers had developed it as a technique for
isolating the scented oils of flowers and plants, what we know as “attar”.
• Around 1100 AD wine was first
distilled to make spirit by Irish monks who travelled around Europe.
• The results of distillation were
considered to have magical powers and this led to alcohol being called “water
of life” or “usige beatha” in Gaelic, “eau de vie” in French and
“aqua vitae” in Latin.
Definition
• Distillation is the process of
converting a liquid into gas or vapor by heating it and then condensing it back
into liquid form.
• When spirits are distilled the
original liquid has already been fermented and is an alcoholic ‘wine’ or wash.
After the ‘wine’ or wash has been converted into vapor and then condensed back
into a liquid it is called a distillate. Impurities are left behind in the
original container.
• The equipment used to distill spirits
is called a STILL. A still has three essential parts: the original container
in which the wash or wine is heated to turn into vapor, the condenser in
which the vapor is cooled, and the receiver in which the distillate or distillates spirit is collected.
• This system works because ethanol
boils at 78.5⁰C and water at 100⁰
C. When the alcoholic wash (“wine”) is heated to 78.5⁰C
the alcohol boils off leaving other constituents, mostly water behind.
• The first part of the distillate is
the “heads” followed by the “heart” and lastly the “tails”.
• The “heads” and the “tails” contained
mostly impurities which also add to the flavor.
• The distiller would decide the amount
of impurities required and for what purpose.
• The original liquid from which
drinkable spirit is distilled can be grape wine (as in the case of Brandy),
sugar wine (for Rum), fruit wine (for Cherry Brandy), or malted or un-malted
grain wine (for Whisky, Gin and Vodka).
STILLS
POT STILL
The pot still
or the ‘alembic or alambic’ is the earliest and traditional form of still.
These were basically enclosed kettles, which narrowed towards the top to
collect vapor created by boiling. A downward pipe from the head carried the
vapor through cold water and caused it to condense and it could be collected in
a receiving chamber.
Copper
was the best metal for making the still as it drew out the impurity from
alcohol. It produced distilled spirits in batches, one batch at a time. It is a
laborious and time consuming process. The stills have to be loaded up, boiled
off, cleaned and recharged for every run.
Advantages
of Pot Still
•
It produces spirits that are individualistic due to
presence of congeners.
•
Spirits with pronounced aromas are produced.
•
Spirits with heavy body produced.
•
Small quantity of wash can be distilled.
Disadvantages
of Pot Still
•
It needs more time and labour.
•
It is costly to operate.
•
Needs frequent cleaning and refilling, after each
distillation.
PATENT
STILL
It was not until the late 1830’s that a new form of still was invented
which produced spirit as long as the wash was fed into it. It was called the
continuous still or patent still or “Coffey Still” or the columnar still. It
had two columns, the “analyzer” and the “rectifier” columns.
The “analyzer” vaporizes the alcohol from the hot wash. The rising
alcohol vapors proceeded to the “rectifier" column where they cooled down
on coming in contact with the cold wash. This purifies, increases the strength
and condenses the alcoholic vapors.
This process produces lighter styles of the spirit (Light body spirits).
Advantages
of Patent Still
•
It does not require too much labour, cleaning and
refilling.
•
More quantity is produced as compared to pot still.
•
It is cost effective.
Disadvantages
of Patent Still
•
It is not suitable for distilling small quantities
of spirits.
• Aroma and other essential elements that are required in a drink may not be achieved.
ALCOHOL
CONTENT / PROOF
Different alcoholic beverages have different alcoholic strengths that are
indicated by the word ‘proof’ on the bottles. In the early days the distiller
used to check the strength by adding gunpowder and setting it alight. If it
burst with a bang it was too strong and hence “over proof” and if it fizzed out
then it was weak and “under proof”. If it burned with a steady blue flame it
was “proved” to be around 50% alcohol and just right to drink. Hence the proof
system was developed.
SCALES for
measuring alcohol strength
There are three scales of measuring proof namely:
•
Gay
Lussac or GL system: In this system the proof is equal to the
percentage of alcohol in the spirit. So if Vodka has 43% alcohol it is 43⁰ proof GL.
•
British
or Canadian Proof: Bartholomew Sykes devised a hydrometer which
calculated that 57.1⁰ % of alcohol is equivalent to 100⁰ % BP. So 100% alcohol is equal to 175 ⁰ BP.
•
American
or US Proof: In this system 50% alcohol is equal to 100⁰ US proof.
Therefore 100 % alcohol is equal to 200⁰ US.
Therefore we can say
that: 100⁰ GL = 175⁰ BP = 200⁰ US
v
Organization
International Metrologique Legale (OIML)
It is now mandatory for all manufacturers to indicate in % the amount of
alcohol on the bottle. OIML is the same as GL, which is the most logical of the
systems.
What is the difference between a pot still and a column
still?
The most important point of difference between pot
stills and column stills is that pot stills operate on
a batch by batch basis, while column stills may be operated
continuously. This is why they're sometimes known as continuous stills.
What is difference cognac and brandy?
Cognac must be made in the Cognac region
of France, while brandy can be made anywhere in the world.
Both are made from grapes, and actually come from white wine. Cognac is
one of the oldest spirits in the world, and can be found in some of the most
classic cocktails.
Which Brandy is best?
The 11 best
Brandy and Cognacs of 2021
|
Rank |
Brand |
Category |
|
1 |
Rémy
Martin XO |
Best
overall |
|
2 |
Hine
Antique XO |
Best
premium |
|
3 |
Asbach 8 Year |
Best
value |
|
4 |
Louis
XIII |
Most
expensive |
Is Brandy a whiskey?
These are two completely separate drinks, with distinct taste and texture, made from different ingredients, using different process. The key difference is that whisky is made from fermented grain, whereas brandy is made from fermented fruit.
Why is Brandy not popular?
It takes years to go from harsh to mellow and complex. That's expensive and you're not making money while your stock is aging, unless you're also producing wine, or some other spirit. So really good brandy costs a lot of money and, as someone else here mentioned, second-rate brandy is not worth drinking.
How is brandy drunk?
Serving. Brandy is traditionally served at room temperature (neat) from a snifter, a wine glass or a tulip glass. When drunk at room temperature, it is often slightly warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gentle heating.
What are the side effects of brandy?
The Effects of
Alcohol on Your Body
Digestive
and endocrine glands. Drinking too much alcohol can cause abnormal activation
of digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas.
·
Inflammatory damage.
·
Sugar levels.
·
Central nervous system.
·
Dependency.
·
Digestive system.
· Circulatory system and Sexual and reproductive health.
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