How does a whiskey distillery work

Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water F vs. In all of drinking history, just two methods of distilling have evolved:. Ethanol evaporates before water, traveling into a cooling tube and back into another vessel to condense. Less water present means higher ABV, hooray! Compounds called congeners e. The art of distilling is making sure you get the right amount of alcohol and any desirable congeners or flavoring compounds into the final product.

The size of the pot still also influences which aromatic molecules volatilize and make it up and over the still's swan neck. The very lightest, lithe esters weave up 26 feet swan necks at Glenmorangie; some of the heavier molecular compounds can make their way over the neck of the Macallan's.

Distillers monitor the distillate coming off the spirit still, collecting the most flavorful of the liquid, called the "heart. Those are re-distilled or discarded, as they contain undesirable molecular compounds that don't make for tasty whiskey. Where these "cuts" take place depends mostly upon the distiller's taste and the still used. Pot stills are made of copper, a material that interacts with molecules to enhance the distillate profile, especially sulfuric compounds that are created when yeast metabolizes during fermentation.

In general, pot stills create more robust distillates and often retain more raw ingredient flavor than other types of stills, which I'll get to in a minute. They are the more folksy and clunky of the two popular still types — they have to be charged filled , emptied, and cleaned between batches.

Very few distillers use open flame to heat pot stills, the rest use steam jackets or internal coils. Much of the whiskey you love is distilled in what's called a continuous still.

You might see it referred to as a "Coffey still," named after the gentleman Aeneas Coffey who created and patented the still in Like pot stills, these can range in sizes and material. I've seen some reach a couple stories high. Column stills operate with the same goal as the pot still: to coax the different aromatic vapors, all containing different boiling points, out of a wash, and then to condense that again.

Here's how they work: Steam passes up through the bottom of the column to meet the wash, which is poured from the top. Perforated plates lie flat along the length of the column and capture husks, seeds, and other grain remnants if there are any as the starchy liquid falls. The steam at the bottom is very hot and becomes cooler as it rises, vaporizing the alcohols and flavors as it meets the falling wash. The wash, with its alcohols removed, falls to the bottom of the still and create more steam.

Because the alcohol volatilizes at a lower temperature, the cooler temperatures toward the top, where the aromatic spirit condenses, will contain more alcohol than water. You'll hear this type of distillation referred to as "fractional distillation," which refers to the different fractions compounds that are trapped along different points within the floors of the column still.

The easiest way to picture the internal structure of a column still is to imagine many pot stills linked together, one on top of the other. The more floors within a column still, the purer — or "rectified" — the distillate will be. As for the crazy maze of tubes and shapes that sat behind the bar in Mos Eisley, I've been unable to determine whether or not it's merely a beverage dispenser or actually some sort of distilling apparatus.

Indeed, there are tubes running along the ceiling which would indicate the transport of liquid, however, the perforated holes on the outside the hanging metal containers wouldn't contain anything in a liquid state. All Star Wars fans are encouraged to send their best guesses to heathermgreene — may the drink be with you. Once as much sugar as possible has been extracted, the mixture—now known as mash or wort if strained of solids —moves on to the fermentation stage. Fermentation takes place in wooden washbacks at Ardmore Distillery.

Photo by Martin Hunter. This takes place in giant vats, often called washbacks. The process can take anywhere from 48 to 96 hours, with different fermentation times and yeast strains resulting in a spectrum of diverse flavors.

The process of distilling increases the alcohol content of the liquid and brings out volatile components, both good and bad. Stills are usually made of copper, which helps strip spirits of unwanted flavor and aroma compounds.

The two most common types of stills— pot stills and column stills —function differently. Both are outlined below. But after a few years in oak barrels, it takes on color, richness, and complexity of flavor. Bourbon whiskey is aged in new but charred oak barrels. Scotch whisky resides in old bourbon barrels, and Irish whiskey ages in used sherry casks.

Gin, ideal for impatient distillers, takes on its character once the white dog is redistilled with a botanical blend stirred into the pot. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Cameron Krone.

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