fine liquor  education 
Spiritsfully
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • LEARN BASICS
    • MINI DICTIONARY
    • BASE MATERIAL
    • CONVERSION
    • FERMENTATION
    • DISTILLATION >
      • A DISTILLATION TOUR BY ROBERT SCHROETER
    • NON ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS?
    • GRAIN BASED SPIRITS >
      • BAIJIU
      • KORN
      • SOJU
      • SHOSHU
      • VODKA
      • WHISKY INTRODUCTION >
        • SCOTTISH WHISKIES
        • US WHISKEYS
        • IRISH WHISKEYS
        • WHISKEYS FROM THE WORLD
    • HERBS AND SPICES FLAVORED SPIRITS >
      • ANIS FLAVOURED SPIRITS
      • AQUAVIT
      • BITTERS & AMARO
      • JUNIPER BASED SPIRITS >
        • JUNIPER BERRIES
        • GIN
        • GENEVER
      • LIQUEUR AND CREME
      • VERMOUTH
    • FRUIT BASED SPIRITS >
      • APPLE BASED SPIRITS
      • EAUX DE VIE DE FRUIT
      • GRAPES BASED SPIRITS >
        • ARMAGNAC
        • BRANDY DE JEREZ AND LESS KNOWN BRANDIES
        • COGNAC
        • GRAPPA
        • MARC & FINE
        • OTHER POMACE BASED SPIRITS
        • PISCO
    • PLANTS BASED SPIRITS >
      • SUGARCANE BASED SPIRITS >
        • ARRACK
        • CACHACA
        • RHUM AGRICOLE
        • RUM
        • OTHER SUGAR CANE BASED SPIRITS
      • AGAVE BASED SPIRITS >
        • MEZCAL
        • TEQUILA
        • OTHER AGAVE BASED SPIRITS
  • MEET MAKERS
    • MORTEN SORENSEN
    • FRANZISKA BISCHOF
    • THEO LIGTHART
    • STEFANIE DROBITS
    • CHRIS MONTANA
    • PATI HERTLING
    • STEFAN ZIMMERMANN
    • THERESA BULLMANN
    • KOENEN AND VOLLMAR
    • FLORENT BEUCHET
    • ROLAND BARICS
    • ROBERT SCHROETER
    • MILAN ESSER, ALEX MEISTER, NICOLAS VAN DE SANDT
    • CHRISTIAN ZIMMERMANN & STELLA-ORIANA STRÜFING
  • VISIT DISTILLERIES
    • SPIRITSFULLY TOURS
    • DSM, BERLIN
    • INDUSTRY CITY, BROOKLYN
    • KING'S COUNTY, BROOKLYN
    • MAMPE, BERLIN
    • VAN BRUNT STILLHOUSE, BROOKLYN
    • LA DISTILLERIE DE PARIS, PARIS
    • PSM, BERLIN
    • DU NORD, MINNEAPOLIS
  • HEAR PODCASTS
  • RESOURCES
    • FAST TRACK COURSE
    • SPIRITSFULLY FLASHCARDS
    • WSET SUCCESS
    • TOOLS FOR TASTING
    • CALENDAR
  • CONTACT
    • ABOUT SPIRITSFULLY
    • WORK WITH ME
    • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    • INPRINT & DISCLAIMER & PRIVACY POLICY
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • LEARN BASICS
    • MINI DICTIONARY
    • BASE MATERIAL
    • CONVERSION
    • FERMENTATION
    • DISTILLATION >
      • A DISTILLATION TOUR BY ROBERT SCHROETER
    • NON ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS?
    • GRAIN BASED SPIRITS >
      • BAIJIU
      • KORN
      • SOJU
      • SHOSHU
      • VODKA
      • WHISKY INTRODUCTION >
        • SCOTTISH WHISKIES
        • US WHISKEYS
        • IRISH WHISKEYS
        • WHISKEYS FROM THE WORLD
    • HERBS AND SPICES FLAVORED SPIRITS >
      • ANIS FLAVOURED SPIRITS
      • AQUAVIT
      • BITTERS & AMARO
      • JUNIPER BASED SPIRITS >
        • JUNIPER BERRIES
        • GIN
        • GENEVER
      • LIQUEUR AND CREME
      • VERMOUTH
    • FRUIT BASED SPIRITS >
      • APPLE BASED SPIRITS
      • EAUX DE VIE DE FRUIT
      • GRAPES BASED SPIRITS >
        • ARMAGNAC
        • BRANDY DE JEREZ AND LESS KNOWN BRANDIES
        • COGNAC
        • GRAPPA
        • MARC & FINE
        • OTHER POMACE BASED SPIRITS
        • PISCO
    • PLANTS BASED SPIRITS >
      • SUGARCANE BASED SPIRITS >
        • ARRACK
        • CACHACA
        • RHUM AGRICOLE
        • RUM
        • OTHER SUGAR CANE BASED SPIRITS
      • AGAVE BASED SPIRITS >
        • MEZCAL
        • TEQUILA
        • OTHER AGAVE BASED SPIRITS
  • MEET MAKERS
    • MORTEN SORENSEN
    • FRANZISKA BISCHOF
    • THEO LIGTHART
    • STEFANIE DROBITS
    • CHRIS MONTANA
    • PATI HERTLING
    • STEFAN ZIMMERMANN
    • THERESA BULLMANN
    • KOENEN AND VOLLMAR
    • FLORENT BEUCHET
    • ROLAND BARICS
    • ROBERT SCHROETER
    • MILAN ESSER, ALEX MEISTER, NICOLAS VAN DE SANDT
    • CHRISTIAN ZIMMERMANN & STELLA-ORIANA STRÜFING
  • VISIT DISTILLERIES
    • SPIRITSFULLY TOURS
    • DSM, BERLIN
    • INDUSTRY CITY, BROOKLYN
    • KING'S COUNTY, BROOKLYN
    • MAMPE, BERLIN
    • VAN BRUNT STILLHOUSE, BROOKLYN
    • LA DISTILLERIE DE PARIS, PARIS
    • PSM, BERLIN
    • DU NORD, MINNEAPOLIS
  • HEAR PODCASTS
  • RESOURCES
    • FAST TRACK COURSE
    • SPIRITSFULLY FLASHCARDS
    • WSET SUCCESS
    • TOOLS FOR TASTING
    • CALENDAR
  • CONTACT
    • ABOUT SPIRITSFULLY
    • WORK WITH ME
    • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    • INPRINT & DISCLAIMER & PRIVACY POLICY

spiritsfully - the blog

HOW THE SHAPE OF A STILL IS SHAPING A SPIRIT

21/11/2019

 
Picture

Dear Curious Readers,

It is said that both the shape and the size of a still has a strong influence on the final distillate. How and why are the two questions we are going to try to answer.
Picture
There are several reasons for choosing a still. Sometimes they are simply there, inherited from the past. Sometimes they have been purchased second-hand for economic reasons so they may differ from other stills in case they complete an installation. They will influence the final result without having been chosen for it. Sometimes the shapes are also the result of experiments in this field (a good example is the still created by Industry City Distillery in Redhook Brooklyn that I describe here).
Research on the influence of stills on spirits was rather empirical until the 1980s. For example Charles Doig is someone who has a lot of experience and is known for the pagoda roofs of his distilleries. You can find more information about him here for example.
In the 1980s, we began to better measure the respective influence of the various factors. For example, the base of the still containing the liquid to be distilled has no influence on the result. What has influence is the reflux zone and the swan neck.

Reflux is a phenomenon that helps to determine the proportion of aromatic components in the distillate. Slim stills with a wide swan neck promote significant reflux. There will therefore be more aromatic compounds in the final distillate. On the other hand, in the sturdy stills with a narrow swan neck, there will be less reflux, which will give a more rustic distillate.
Size and height also play a role. Indeed, the temperature drops as you get higher. It will therefore be necessary to ensure the heating temperature to avoid that the heaviest, but also sometimes aromatic components do not remain at the bottom of the tank because they have not had enough heating time to evaporate. Of course, it means using the height is also a way to avoid them eventually. It is also a toll at the disposal of the distiller.

WHAT ELSE INFLUENCES THE FINAL DISTILLATE?

The speed of distillation!

Moderate heating results in slow distillation. The vapours rise slowly and do not heat the swan neck. The swan neck remains cold which produces reflux. There will therefore be more light aromatic components in the distillate. On the other hand, a rapid distillation will increase the number of congeners. There will be more rich components in the end.
Another point that plays a role is the length and angle of inclination of the lye pipe connecting the swan neck to the condenser.  
It is also possible to increase the reflux of a still by equipping it with a boil ball. A spherical compartment is built in between the shoulder of the kettle and the gooseneck. The vapours that rise from the heating tank expand in this wider and slightly cooler area. The lower temperature causes the condensation of the richest aromatic compounds that fall back into the distillate. Another means of action: a lamp glass. It can also be embedded between the shoulder and the swan neck. It allows to gather more aromatic components
Picture

ON DISTILLATION HERE


Comments are closed.
    Enter your email below to sign up for email updates and have free access to all our 40 pages illustrated guides on gin, tequila and other bonuses.
    Picture
    FREE EBOOKS
    Picture above: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

    tags

    All
    101 CLASSES
    ABSINTHE
    AGAVE BASED SPIRITS
    AMSTERDAM
    ANIS
    APPLE BASED BRANDIES
    Apple Cider
    Applejack
    AQUAVIT
    ARAK
    ARMAGNAC
    ASIAN SPIRITS
    BAIJIU
    BAR CONVENT
    BARS
    BARTENDING MYSTERIES
    BERLIN
    BITTERS
    BOOKS
    BRANDY
    BROOKLYN
    BRUSSELS
    CALVADOS
    COGNAC
    COLLABORATION
    CRAFT
    CRAFT SPIRITS
    DESTILLE BERLIN
    DESTILLE VENTURES
    DISTILLATION
    DISTILLERY TOUR
    EAUX DE VIE
    FINE
    FOOD
    FRUIT BASED SPIRITS
    FUN FACTS
    GENEVER
    GIN
    GRAIN BASED SPIRITS
    GRAPE BASED SPIRITS
    GRAPPA
    GUSANO
    HERBS AND SPICES BASED SPIRITS
    HISTORY
    INFOGRAPHICS
    INSTAGRAM
    INTERVIEWS
    JUNIPER
    Juniper Based Spirit
    JUNIPER BASED SPIRITS
    KNOWLEDGE CENTER
    KORN
    LESSON
    LIQUEURS
    LONDON
    MARC
    MEZCAL
    NEUROLOGY
    NON ALC
    OBSTBRAND
    OFF TRACKS
    ONLINE
    OPINION
    OUZO
    PALINKA
    PARIS
    PASTIS
    PECHUGA
    PISCO
    PLANT BASED SPIRITS
    PODCASTS
    PRESS REVIEW
    PROWEIN
    PULQUE
    RAKI
    RHUM
    RUM
    SCANDINAVIA
    SENSES
    SHOWS AND FAIRS
    SHRUBS
    SOTOL
    SPIRITSFULLY X FICTIONS
    SUGARCANE
    SUSTAINABILITY
    TASTINGS
    TEQUILA
    TIPS TO LEARN
    TOURS
    TRAVELS
    TRENDS
    UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL
    VERMOUTH
    VODKA
    WHISKY
    WSET
    YOU TUBE
    ZERO PROOF

SITE MAP TO FIND YOUR WAY

SPIRITS FAMILIES
Non alcoholic spirits

Plant based spirits
Sugarcane based spirits (rum, rhum agricole, cachaca, arrack batavia, ronmiel de Canaria, charanda...)

Agave based spirits (tequila, mezcal, raicilla, bacanora, sotol, pulque)

Grains based spirits
Grain based spirits
(baijiu, soju, shoshu, korn, vodka)

Fruits based spirits
Fruit based spirits (eaux de vies, fruit brandies, calvados, applejack)
grape or pomace based spirits (cognac, armagnac, pisco, grappa, marc, fine)

Flavored spirits
Herbs and spices based spirits
(anis-based, raki, ouzo, pastis, liqueur, creme de liqueurs, vermouth, gin, genever, aquavit, juniper based spirits)

URBAN DISTILLERIES TOURS
Du Nord Craft Spirits
La Distillerie de Paris
Van Brunt Stillhouse Distillery
King's County Distillery
Industry City
Preussiche Spirituosen Manufaktur (PSM)
Deutsche Spirituosen Manufaktur (DSM)
Mampe

SPIRIT MAKING
Base material
Conversion
Fermentation
Distillation
INTERVIEWS OF DISTILLERS
Robert Schroeter
Florent Beuchet
Franziska Bischof
Theresa Bullmann
Stefanie Drobits
Pati Hertling
Theo Ligthart

Stephan Zimmermann
Chris Montana
Roland Barics
WORK WITH ME
TELLING STORIES WITH SPIRITS
THE BEVERAGE BUREAU
DISTILLERIES & BARS BESPOKE TOURS
BLOG
WSET
TOOLS FOR TASTING
SELF LEARNING TIPS
TRADE SHOW CALENDAR
ABOUT ME
CONTACT
NEWSLETTER
DISCLAIMER & PRIVACY POLICY
WARNING
ALWAYS ENJOY WITH MODERATION ! DRINK MINDFULLY !
MOREOVER YOU MUST BE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE WITHIN YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE TO ENTER THIS SITE (It will make us feel a whole lot better).
IF NO SUCH LAWS EXIST IN YOUR COUNTRY YOU HAVE TO BE OVER 21 TO VISIT THIS SITE.

© 2014-2020 Spiritsfully and guests. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher using the contact form. Easy !
And on the other way around, should you notice a missing caption or lack of indication of source or misquotations, etc,, please let us know immediately for an immediate correction. We do our best to double check but we sometimes makes mistakes. We are happy to correct them !