THE DISTILLER.

Distillation is the act of dropping or falling in drops, and is more particularly applied to a process in which water, or other liquids, are placed over fire in suitable vessels, and certain parts are separated from other parts of the same liquid, by the agency of heat : it is, in every sense of the term, a chemical process.

Distillation is of considerable antiquity : of all the vessels destined to this use, the alembic is the simplest, and the most ancient. Both
Dioscorides and Pliny mention the ambix, which is described by the latter of these writers : it is probable that it was, in his time, a mere plain still without any beak or gutter. The Alchemists having adopted this instrument, prefixed the Arabian article al to its name, and made considerable alteration in its form : the characteristic difference between an alembic and a still, seems to be in the construction of the head or capital, which, in the alembic, is contrived not merely to collect, but to condense the vapour ; whereas, the corresponding part of a still, serves merely to collect the vapour which is transmitted, in an elastic state, through the beak, and condensed in the worm. Most of the French brandies, we are informed, are prepared by the alembic, properly so called, whereas all British spirits are drawn over from a still.

The English still is of a very simple construction ; it is usually made of copper, and consists of a body somewhat cylindrical, and
contracted at the top, called the neck, so as to admit, conveniently, the head or moveable upper part, which is contracted also, from its bellied rotundity above, into it a few inches; by which means, with proper luting, the head and body become one vessel. At the top of the head is soldered a curved tube, gradually lessening as it descends, in the shape of a swan's neck, the beak of which tube is inserted a few inches into another tube, called a worm, from its spiral convolutions : this juncture is, also, in distillation, closely luted. The worm is made of pewter, and is fixed in a frame in a vessel, called a worm-tub ; it goes gradually descending about six times round ; the upper end projecting a few inches out of the upper part of the side of the worm-tub, next the still, and the lower end projecting, also, a few inches out of the side of the lower part of the worm-tub, at a suitable distance from the still, where can be placed a proper vessel to receive the distilled product. The worm-tub is, of course, filled with water, to condense and cool the liquor as it comes over.

The still is usually, unless very small, furnished with a cock at its bottom, to draw off the remaining fluid after the distillation is
effected ; and is set with bricks in the same way as the common furnace for boiling liquids usually.

We shall include Distillation and Rectification in one article, although, in this country, particularly in the metropolis and its neighbouring villages, they make two distinct trades.

The great object of the Distiller ought to be to procure a perfectly flavourless spirit, which is not an easy task. The materials for
distillation, that have in this country been used in large quantities, are malt, molasses, and sugar. All these abound with an oily
matter, which rising with the spirit, communicates a disagreeable flavour, from which it is with the utmost difficulty freed.

Previously to the operation of distilling, those of brewing and fermentation are necessary. Methods have been suggested, and, we
believe, carried into practice, for reducing the brewing and fermentation to one operation, Which are said to improve the spirit in quality, and greatly to augment its quantity. The following is the process take ten pounds of malt, reduced to fine meal, and three pounds of common wheat-meal : add to these two gallons of water, and stir them well together; then add five gallons of water boiling-hot, and stir the whole well together. Let it stand two hours, and then stir it again ; and, when grown cold, add to it two ounces of solid yeast, and set it by, loosely covered, in rather a warm place, to ferment. This is called the Dutch method of preparing what is called the wash for malt spirit. In London and its neighbourhood, the method is to draw, and , mash for spirits, as is done for beer in the article brewing, except, that instead of boiling the wort, it is pumped into coolers, and afterwards drawn into backs to be then fermented ; of course no hops are used. Thus, in the opinion of some persons, conversant with the subject, twice as much labour as is necessary is bestowed, and a large quantity of spirit is lost by leaving the gross bottoms out of the still for fear of burning,

All simple spirits may be considered in their different states of low-wines, proof-spirits, and alcohol, or rectified spirits. The first contain only one-sixth of spirit to five-sixths of water, Proof-spirits contain about one half, or rather more, of totally inflammable
spirits, and alcohol, if very pure, consists wholly of spirit without any admixture or adulteration.

Malt low-wines, which is the first state after distillation from the wash, prepared in the usual way, are exceedingly nauseous, owing y to the gross oil of the malt which abounds in it. When these are distilled gently, and by a slow-fire, into proof-spirits, they leave a considerable quantity of this foetid oil behind in the still, with the phlegm ; the liquor loses its milky colour, and is clear and
bright. When the proof-spirit, from malt, is distilled over again, to be brought to the state qf alcohol, or rectified spirits, the utmost attention must be paid to the fire, or some of the oil will be forced over, and injure the whole process. The use of the balneum
miaria: instead of the common still, though a nuch more tedious process, would effectually prevent this mischief, and give a purer spirit in one rectification, than can be procured in inany, by the common methods. The balneum mariae, is a copper cylinder with a bottom made to be inserted into the still, and to descend within a few inches of its bottom, so that the materials to be distilled can be placed within it, and yet have no communication with the other part of the still, which is filled two-thirds, or thereabouts, with water : the head of the still is made to fit the bath, the same as it does the still itself : by these means, a more regular and equable heat is applied to the liquor to be distilled, and which cannot be easily raised much above the boiling-point, or 212 of Fahrenheit's thermometer.

Malt spirit, and indeed spirits from other substances, must be brought into the state of alcohol, before they are adapted to internal
uses; after, which, they are said to be more fit for the purpose than even French brandy ; but this admits of considerable doubt: French brandy containing an essential oil, or some resinous matter, which English spirits have not, that is peculiarly grateful to the stomach.

A quarter of malt will generally afford, depending upon its goodness, and the season of the year, from eight to fourteen gallons of
alcohol.

The Malt Distiller always gives his spirit a single rectification, per se, to purify it a little ; in this state, though certainly not adapted to
internal use, it is frequently, and at once, distilled into gin, or other ordinary compounds, for the common people; who, in this country, injure their health, and eventually destroy their constitutions by the free use of them. The Dutch never give it any further rectification than this : they distil the wash into low wines, and then, at office, into full-proof spirit, from which they manufacture
their celebrated Holland's geneva, or gin.

The spirit loses in these processes the vinous character which it had when it came out of the hands of the Malt Distiller : thfe alkaline salts, used by the rectifier, uniting with the oleous and aqueous parts of the liquor, it is necessary to add an extraneottk, substance, to give it a flavour, and this is frequently done by sweet spirits of nitre; tbe common method of applying this, is by mixing it to the taste with rectified spirits. This is said to give the flavour of French brandy to our English spirits ; but we think it a poor imitation, and that it is readily detected, by even indifferent judges of that liquor: other flavours are given to spirits, by putting articles into the still, so that the flavours may come over with the distilled liquor. Compound Distillers, mix with malt spirits, juniper berries, angelica root, aniseeds, turpentine, &c. and distill the whole over again, the produce of which is gin, spirit of aniseed, &c.

Rum is distilled from sugar in the West Indies ; and having a great quantity of the essential oil of the sugar dissolved in it, it obtains by these means, its characteristic taste and smell. The brandy made in France, particularly in Cogniac, Bourdeaux, and Rochelle, bears the highest price : it is, in its pure state, colourless, and obtains, perhaps, its yellow tint, by extracting the colouring matter from the casks in which it is kept, or more probably, it is coloured specifically by the French themselves, or by the first importers.

The Malt Distillers feed and fatten innumerable quantities of pigs upon the grains left after brewing: but the pork aad lard
obtained from these pigs have a flabby softness about them, very different from pork fed in the usual way in the country; and, of
course, do not fetch so high a price.

Spirits from sugar and molasses, are made by distilling them in water, and fermenting, them in the same way as the wort from malt.

Perhaps there is no trade in the British dominions, the drug-trade excepted, which affords such facilities for fraud and adulteration ; and not one in which larger fortunes have been made, we hope, to the satisfaction of the minds of those now enjoying them. A Malt Distiller requires a large capital, and much room to carry on his various operations.

Distilleries are under the close inspection and superintendence of the Board of Excise, and the proprietors of them are obliged to
take out an annual license.