A distillery typically contains a still. A still is a special apparatus that increases the alcohol content in fermented liquids. This is a very old process, commonly used today to make products like whiskey, scotch and bourbon. Each of these liquors begins as a preparation with a relatively low alcohol content similar to that found in beer or wine. This is processed at the distillery to make the finished product.
Instructions
1. Start with a fermented liquid. Depending on what you intend to make, this can be either a mash of slowly fermenting grain or some wine. Grain is used to make most common liquors, or spirits, while wine is used to make brandy. This fermented preparation must be fed into a still. In the still, this original batch will be heated until a certain amount of water is boiled out. The removal of the water will result in the batch being higher in alcohol contact than it was before. The process is straightforward--the more water you remove, the more alcohol is left behind.
2. Set up the still. The still is essentially a big pot or kettle that has some twisting pipes connected to it. The original mash is heated to a temperature that is hot enough to cause alcohol to boil but is not hot enough to cause the water itself to begin to boil. This is possible because water boils at 100 degrees C, while alcohol, or ethanol, boils at only 78 degrees C. The vapor goes up into the twisting pipes where it encounters different temperatures and condenses and re-condenses. By carefully controlling the temperature you produce different concentrations, or proofs, of alcohol.
3. Control the temperature in your still. A distillery must be able to produce alcohol of the proper strength. A temperature change of as little as 5 degrees can make a huge difference in the proof of your alcohol. You need to have a large enough surface area in your stll to allow the alcohol to condense and re-condense in the right way without it suddenly changing noticeably in temperature. In most commercial processes, the liquid is actually distilled more than once with the finished product form each still being fed through some more twisting pipes into another still.
4. Take your distilled preparation and move it to a cask or barrel. This is where your liquor will age and turn into something that you may want to drink. Spirits directly form the still are all clear in color--it is the aging process that turns them brown or golden and gives the liquid added flavor. Barrels or casks are usually made of wood. Some kinds of liquors, like Jack Daniels, are actually aged in barrels that have been purposely burnt on the inside. Burning will help release some of the flavors and aromas from the wood itself. Many distillers also insist on using barrels that have been used before--this preserves some of the interesting flavors from previous batches. When your liquor is fully aged, it is ready to be bottled and drunk.
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