THE COMPLETE DISTILLER TEXT

The Bodies proper for Distillation, are Flowers, Fruits, Seeds, Spices and aromatic Plants. By Distillation and Digestion, we extract the Colour and Smell of Flowers in simple Waters and Essences. We extract from Fruits, at least from some, Colour, Taste, _&c._ From aromatic Plants, the Distiller draws Spirits, Essences, simple and compound Waters. 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. What is extracted of the Colour of Flowers, by Infusion in Water by a gentle Heat, or by Digestion in Brandy or Spirits of Wine, is called, in the Distiller’s Phrase, Tincture of Flowers. The Colour of Fruits is extracted in the same manner, either by Infusion or Digestion: Their Taste is also procured by the same Processes. But let it be observed, that the Time of these Operations must be limited; for otherwise the Fruit, after Fermentation, would render it acid. The Taste is also extracted by Distillation in Spirit of Wine. From aromatic Plants are extracted by the Alembic pure Spirits, Odours, and simple Waters. But these require different Methods of Distillation. The first by Water or Brandy only, the second by rectified Spirit, which will give them the greatest Excellency they are capable of. The Plants themselves with their Flowers may also be distilled, which is still better. From Spices are drawn Spirits, and oily or spirituous Quintessences. The Spirits are drawn by Brandy, or Spirit of Wine, with very little Water: The Oils are distilled _per Descensum_; and the spirituous Quintessences by pounding the Spices, and after infusing them in Spirit of Wine, decanting it gently by inclination. From Seeds are extracted simple Waters, Spirits and Oils. Very few of the first and last, Spirits being what is generally extracted from Seeds and Berries. Some Distillers, through a Notion of Frugality, distil Seeds with Water; but their Liquors are not to be compared with those which are distilled with Spirits. When Oils are drawn from Seeds, the Operation is performed either by the _Balneum Mariæ_, or the Vapour Bath. We only deliver in this Place, the first Elements of each of these Operations, which will be farther illustrated in the Sequel, when we treat more particularly of these Subjects. CHAP. XIII. _Of what is procured by Distillation._ By Distillation are procured Spirit, Essence, simple Waters and Phlegm. _Spirits_ are very difficult to be defined. I consider them as the most subtil and volatile Parts of a Body. All Bodies without Exception have Spirits more or less. These Parts are an ignited Substance, and consequently by their own Nature disposed to a violent Motion. These volatile Particles are more or less disposed to separate themselves, as the Bodies are more or less porous, or abound with a greater or lesser Quantity of Oil. By the Term _Essence_, we understand the oleaginous Parts of a Body. An essential Oil is found in all Bodies, being one of their constituent Principles. I have observed in all my Distillations, Spirit of Wine excepted, a soft unctuous Substance floating on the Phlegm; and this Substance is Oil, which we call Essence; and this is what we endeavour to extract. _Simple Waters_ are those distilled from Plants, Flowers, _&c._ without the Help of Water, Brandy, or Spirit of Wine. These Waters are commonly odoriferous, containing the Odour of the Body from whence it is extracted, and even exceeds in Smell the Body itself. _Phlegm_ is the aqueous Particles of Bodies; but whether an active or passive Principle, we shall leave to the Decision of Chemists. It is of the last Importance to a Distiller to be well acquainted with its Nature; many mistaking for Phlegm several white and clouded Drops, which first fall into the Receiver, when the Still begins to work. These, however, are often the most spirituous Particles of the Matter in the Alembic, and consequently ought to be preserved. What has given occasion to this Mistake, is some Humidity remaining in the Head, _&c._ of the Alembic. And had it been thoroughly wiped, the first Drops would have been equally bright with any during the whole Operation. The following Remark deserves Attention. In Bodies that have been digested the Spirits ascend first; whereas in Charges not digested, the Phlegm ascends before the Spirits. The Reason of this is very plain and natural. In Substances previously digested, the Action of the Fire no sooner causes the Matter in the Alembic to boil, than the Spirits, being the most volatile Parts, detach themselves, and ascend into the Head of the Alembic. But when the Matter to be distilled has not undergone a proper Digestion, the Spirits being intangled in the Phlegm, are less disposed to ascend, till the Phlegm itself separates, and gives them room to fly upward. The Phlegm being aqueous rises first: This is more particularly observable in Spices. I am, however, inclined to believe, that were the Operation performed in an Alembic, whose Head was at a great Distance from the Surface of the Charge, they would not ascend high enough to come over the Helm, but fall back again by their own Gravity, and by that means leave the Spirits at Liberty to ascend. But in the common Refrigatory Alembic this always happens. If this Observation be not readily admitted, I appeal to Experience, which I desire may be the Test of every thing I shall advance. Another Observation, which has verified the above Assertion by innumerable Instances, is, that in an extraordinary Run of Business, when I had not time sufficient to digest the Substances, I used to bruise them in a Mortar; but notwithstanding the Trituration, the Phlegm first came over, and afterwards the Spirits. But I desire to be understood, that I speak here only of the volatile Parts of the Plants not drawn with vinous Spirits, but contained in a simple Water. Another Remark I must add, and which I hope will be acceptable to the Curious, as it has not yet been made public, though doubtless the Observation has often occurred to others; it is this: That in mixed Charges, consisting of Flowers, Fruits, and aromatic Plants, put into the Alembic without a previous Digestion, the Spirits of the Flowers ascend first; and notwithstanding the Mixture, they contracted nothing of the Smell or Taste of the Fruits and Plants. Next after the Spirits of the Flowers, those of the Fruits ascend, not in the least impregnated with the Smell or Taste of either of the Flowers or Plants. And in the last Place the Spirits of the Plants distil no less neat than the former. Should this appear strange to any one, Experience will convince him of the Truth. Another Observation I have made on aromatic Herbs, is, that whether they are, or are not digested; whether the Spirits or Phlegm ascend first; the Spirits contain very little of the Taste and Smell of the Plants from whence they were extracted; and I have always been obliged to put to these Spirits a greater or lesser Quantity of the Phlegm, in order to give the Spirits I had drawn the Taste of an aromatic Odour of the Plants; the Phlegm containing the greatest Quantity of both. This Observation I insert as of great Use to those who practice Distillation. As the Term Digestion often occurs in this Essay, I cannot avoid pointing out its Advantages, and even shew the Necessity of using it in several Circumstances. Substances are said to be in Digestion, when they are infused in a Menstruum, over a very slow Fire. This Preparation is often necessary in Distillation; for it tends to open the Bodies, and thereby free the Spirits from their Confinements, whereby they are the better enabled to ascend. Cold Digestions are the best; those made by Fire, or in hot Materials, diminish the Quality of the Goods, as some Part, as the most volatile, will be lost. In order to procure Essences, the Bodies must be prepared by Digestion. It is even of absolute Necessity for extracting the Spirits and Essences of Spices. CHAP. XIV. _Of the proper Season for Distilling._ Flowers of all Kinds must be distilled in their proper Seasons. To begin with the Violet. Its Colour and Smell can only be extracted when it is in its greatest Vigour, which is not at its first Appearance, nor when it begins to decay. _April_ is the Month in which it is in its greatest Perfection; the Season being never so forward in _March_, as to give the Violet its whole Fragrancy. The same must be observed of all other Flowers. And let them be gathered at the hottest Time of the Day; the Odour and Fragrancy of Flowers being then in their greatest Perfection. The same Observation holds good, with regard to Fruits; to which must be added, that they are the finest, and of the most beautiful Colour, especially those from whence Tinctures are drawn; they must be free from all Defects, as the Goods would by that Means be greatly detrimented. Berries and Aromatics may be distilled at any Season, all that is necessary being a good Choice. But in this Distillers are sometimes mistaken, as may easily happen without a very accurate Knowledge. We shall therefore, in the Sequel, lay down more particular Directions for making a proper Choice of Materials. CHAP. XV. _Of the Filtration of Liquors._ Filtration consists in passing Liquors thro’ some porous Substance, in order to free them from those Particles which obscure their Brightness. Nothing is finer than a Liquor newly distilled; but the Syrup and colouring Particles render it thick and opaque; in order, therefore, to restore their Brightness they are filtrated, which is done by passing them through Sand, Paper, Cloth, _&c._ All the Attention of the Distiller cannot in ordinary Operations always prevent some aqueous Particles from rising with the Spirits, either in the Beginning of the Process, in those Compositions where they ascend first, or at the Conclusion when they rise last. As this is almost unavoidable, so it is also sometimes necessary. In distilling Flowers, or aromatic Plants, fresh gathered, the Phlegm rises first; and this Part cannot be taken out of the Receiver without depriving the Spirits of a considerable Part of their Fragrancy. In distilling Spices, their Odour being more entangled, will remain in the Alembic till Part of the Phlegm is drawn off. But when, instead of these Substances, their Quintessences are used, the Necessity ceases. But the Phlegm commonly causing a Cloudiness in the Liquor, it may be rendered tolerably fine, by pouring it gently off by Inclination, without the Trouble of Filtration the aqueous Particles, by their Gravity, falling to the Bottom. But to render it entirely bright and fine, put some Cotton in a Funnel, and pour the Liquor thro’ it, by which means the aqueous Particles will be retained in the Cotton. You must however remember to cover the Top of the Funnel, to prevent the most volatile Parts of the Spirits from evaporating. CHAP. XVI. _Of the Distillation of Malt Spirits._ The Wash, or Liquor being prepared by Brewing and Fermentation, as directed in the first and second Chapters of this Treatise, the Still is to be charged with it, and worked off with a pretty brisk Fire. But it should be observed, that the only Apparatus used in this Process, is the Alembic with a Refrigeratory, as represented in _Fig. 1._ The Wash being of a mucilaginous Nature, a particular Management is necessary to prevent its burning, and cause it to work kindly in the Still: If it should happen to be burnt in the Operation, the Spirit will have a most disagreeable Flavour, which can hardly ever be removed; and therefore to prevent this ill Effect, the Wash should be made dilute or thin, the Fire well regulated, and the whole kept in a continual Agitation during the whole Process. The most judicious Distillers always take care to have their Wash sufficiently diluted, and constantly find their Spirit the purer for it. With regard to the Fire, it may be easily kept regular by a constant Attendance, and observing never to stir it hastily, or throw on fresh Fuel; and the stirring of the Liquor in the Still is to be effected by Means of a Paddle, or Bar kept in the Liquor till it just begins to boil, which is the Time for luting on the Head; and after which there is no great Danger, but from the improper Management of the Fire: This is the common Way; but it is no easy Matter to hit the exact Time, and the doing it either too late, or too soon, is attended with great Inconvenience, so that several have discovered other Methods; some put more solid Bodies into the the Still with the Wash; others place some proper Matter at the Bottom and Sides of the Still, which are the Places where the Fire acts with the greatest Force. The Use of the Paddle would, however, answer better than either of these Methods, could it be continued during the whole Time the Still is working; and this may be done by the following Method: Let a short Tube of Iron or Copper be soldered in the Center of the Still-head, and let a cross Bar be placed below in the same Head, with a Hole in the Middle, corresponding to that at the Top; through both these let an iron Pipe be carried down in the Still, and let an iron Rod be passed through this with wooden Sweeps at its End; this Rod may be continually worked by a Winch at the Still-head, and the Sweeps will continually keep the Bottom and Sides scraped clean, the Interstices of the Tube being all the time well crammed with Tow to prevent any Evaporation of the Spirit. The same Effect may, in a great Measure, be produced by a less laborious Method, namely, by placing a Parcel of cylindrical Sticks lengthways, so as to cover the whole Bottom of the Still, or by throwing in a loose Parcel of Faggot Sticks at a Venture; for the Action of the Fire below moving the Liquor, at the same time gives Motion to the Sticks, making them act continually like a Parcel of Stirrers upon the Bottom and Sides of the Still, which might, if necessary, be furnished with Buttons and Loops, to prevent them from starting. Some also use a Parcel of fine Hay laid upon the loose Sticks, and secured down by two cross Poles, laid from Side to Side, and in the same Manner fastened down with Loops. Care is to be taken in this Case not to press the Hay against the Sides of the Still; for that would scorch nearly as soon as the Wash itself; but the Sticks never will: These are simple but effectual Contrivances, and in point of Elegance, they may be improved at Pleasure. There is another Inconvenience attending the distilling of Malt Spirit, which is, when all the Bottoms, or gross mealy Fœculence is put into the Still along with the Liquor, the thinner Part of the Wash going off in Form of Spirit; the mealy Mass grows by Degrees more and more stiff, so as to scorch towards the latter Part of the Operation. The best Method of remedying this is to have a Pipe with a Stop-cock, leading from the upper Part of the Worm-tub into the Still; so that upon a half, or a quarter Turn, it may continually supply a little Stream of hot Water, in the same Proportion as the Spirit runs off, by which Means the Danger of scorching is avoided, and the Operation, at the same time, not in the least retarded. In _Holland_, the Malt Distillers work all their Wash thick, with the whole Body of Meal among it; yet they are so careful in keeping their Stills clean, and so regular and nice in the Management of their Fires, that though they use no Artifice at all on this Head, only to charge the Still while it is hot and moist, they very rarely have the Misfortune to scorch, except now and then in the Depth of Winter. When such an Accident has once happened in a Still, they are extremely careful to scrape, scrub and scour off the Remains of the burnt Matter, otherwise they find the same Accident very liable to happen again in the same Place. But beyond all the other Methods in Use on this Occasion, would be the working the Stills not by a dry Heat, but in a _Balneum Mariæ_, which might possibly be so contrived by the Bason being large, and capable of working a great many stills at once, as to be extremely worth the Proprietor’s while in all respects. Another Requisite to be observed is, that the Water in the Worm-tub be kept cool; this may be affected, by placing in the middle of the Tub a wooden Pipe or Gutter, about three Inches square within, reaching from the Top almost to the Bottom; by this Contrivance cold Water may, as often as necessary, be conveyed to the Bottom of the Worm-tub, and the hot Water at the Top forced either over the Sides of the Tub, or, which is better, through a leaden Pipe of moderate Size, called a Waste-pipe, soldered into the Top of the Tub, and extended to the Gutter formed to carry away the Water. CHAP. XVII. _Of the Distillation of Molosses Spirits._ The Spirit distilled from Molosses or Treacle, is very clean or pure. It is made from common Treacle dissolved in Water, and fermented in the same Manner as the Wash for the common Malt Spirit. But if some particular Art is not used in Distilling this Spirit, it will not prove so vinous as Malt Spirit, but more flat and less pungent and acid, though otherwise much cleaner tasted, as its essential Oil is of a less offensive Flavour. Therefore, if good fresh Wine-lees, abounding in Tartar, be added and duly fermented with the Molosses, the Spirit will acquire a much greater Vinosity and Briskness, and approach much nearer to the Nature of foreign Spirits. Where the Molosses Spirit is brought to the common Proof Strength, if it be found not to have a sufficient Vinosity, it will be very proper to add some good dulcified Spirit of Nitre; and if the Spirit be clean worked, it may, by this Addition only, be made to pass on ordinary Judges for _French_ Brandy. Great Quantities of this Spirit are used in adulterating foreign Brandy, Rum and Arrac. Much of it is also used alone in making Cherry-Brandy, and other Drams by Infusion; in all which many, and perhaps with Justice, prefer it to foreign Brandies. Molosses, like other Spirits, is entirely colourless when first extracted; but Distillers always give it, as nearly as possible, the Colour of foreign Spirits; the Methods of performing which we shall explain in a subsequent Chapter. CHAP. XVIII. _Of the Nature of Brandies, and Method of Distilling them in_ France. The general Method of distilling Brandies in _France_ need not be formally described, as it differs in nothing from that commonly practised here in working from Wash or Molosses; nor are they in the least more cleanly, or exact in the Operation. They only observe more particularly to throw a little of the natural Lee into the Still, along with the Wine, as finding this gives their Spirit the Flavour, for which it is generally admired abroad. But though Brandy is extracted from Wine, Experience tells us, that there is a great Difference in Grapes from which the Wine is made. Every Soil, every Climate, every kind of Grapes varies with regard to the Quantity and Quality of Spirits extracted from them. There are some Grapes which are only fit for eating; others for drying; as those of _Damascus_, _Corinth_, _Provence_, and _Avignon_; but not fit to make Wine. Some Wines very proper for Distillation, others much less so. The Wines of _Languedoc_ and _Provence_ afford a great deal of Brandy by