The Practical Distiller by Samuel McHarry (best book recommendations TXT) 📕

left standing until the ill ground unripe fruit is thoroughly fermented, and done working, you will perceive that a large portion of the spirit contained in the ripe well ground fruit is evaporated and of course lost.

But if the fruit be all ripe and evenly ground, of course then it will work regularly and can be distilled in due and right order, and will produce the greatest quantity of spirit, and much superior to that produced from uneven, ill-ground or unripe fruit.

Apples cannot be ground too fine.

ART. X. How to order Apples in the Hogsheads.

When the apples are ground put them into open hogsheads to ferment, taking care not to fill them too full, or they will work over; set them under cover, as the sun will sour them too soon, if permitted to operate on them, and by his heat extract a considerable quantity of the spirit, if the weather be warm they will work fast enough, provided you have a sufficient supply of hogsheads to keep your stills agoing in due time and order; about twenty hogsheads are sufficient to keep one singling still of one hundred and ten gallons agoing, if you distil the pumice with the juice, but if you press off the apples after they are done working, you must have three times that number.

In warm weather five or six days is long enough for apples to work, as it is always better to distil them before they are quite done working, then to let them stand one hour after the fermentation ceases.

ART. XI. How to work Apples slow or fast.

If the hogsheads ripens too fast for your stills, add every day to each hogshead four gallons cold spring water, putting it into a hole made in the centre of the apples, with a large round stick of wood; by thus putting it into the centre of the hogshead, it will chill the fermentation, and thereby prevent the fruit from becoming ripe sooner than it may suit the convenience of the distiller. But I think it advisable that distillers should take in no more apples than they can properly manage in due time.

If the weather be cold, and the apples do not ripen so fast as you wish, then add every twelve hours, four gallons boiling, or warm water, which will ripen them if the weather be not too cold in four days at farthest.

ART. XII. How to judge when Apples are ready for distilling.

Put your hand down into the hogsheads amongst the apples as far as you can, and bring out a handful of pugs—squeeze them in your hand, through your fingers, observe if there be any core, or lumps of apples un-digested, if none, you may consider them as sufficiently fermented and quite ready for distilling. It may also be ascertained by tasting and smelling the cider or juice, which rises in the hole placed in the centre; if it tastes sweet and smells strong, it is not yet ready, but when quite fermented, the taste will be sour, and smell strong, which is the proper taste for distilling. A nice discriminating attention is necessary to ascertain precisely, when the fermentation ceases, which is the proper moment for distillation, and I would recommend, rather to anticipate, than delay one hour after this period.

ART. XIII. How to fill and order the singling Still, when running Apple singlings.

When you perceive your apples ready for distilling, fill the singling still with apples and water; using about half a hogshead apples in a still of 110 gallons, the residue water, first having cleaned the still well, and greased her previous to filling—put fire under her and bring her ready to head, as quick as possible, stirring the contents well with a broom until ready to head, of which you can judge by the warmth of the apples and water, which must be rather warm to bear your hand in it any length of time. Wash the still head and worm clean, put on the head, paste it, keeping a good fire until she runs at the worm; run off 14 gallons briskly, and catch the feints in a bucket to throw into the next still full, if the singling still too fast, provided she does not smoke at the worm. When the first still full is off, and before you go to fill her the second time, draw or spread the coals that may be under her, in the furnace, and fill the furnace with wood. Shut up your furnace door and put in your damper; by proceeding thus, you cool the still and avoid burning her; this plan I deem preferable to watering out the fire. When empty, rinse the still round with cold water, scrape and grease her, then she will be ready to receive a second charge.

Care is necessary in scraping and greasing your still every time she is emptied, if this is neglected, the brandy may be burnt and the still injured.

ART. XIV. How to double Apple Brandy.

Fill the doubling still with singlings, and add a quart of lime, (which will clear it) put fire under her and bring her to a run briskly—after she runs, lessen the fire and run her as slow as possible. Slow running will prevent any of the spirit from escaping, and make more and better brandy, than fast running.—Let the liquor filter thro a flannel cloth from the worm.

ART. XV. How to prepare Peaches.

Peaches like apples ought to be equally ripe, in order to insure an equal and regular fermentation—for where ripe and unripe fruit are thrown into the same hogshead, and ordered for distillation in this way a disadvantage is sustained. I therefore recommend to farmers and distillers, when picking the peaches to assort them when putting them in hogsheads, all soft ripe peaches may go together, as also those which are hard and less ripe—this will enable a more regular fermentation, and though the hard and less ripe, will take a longer time, than the soft and ripe to ferment, and yield less, yet the disadvantage will not be so great, as if mixed.

They ought to be ground in a mill with metal nuts, that the stone and kernel may be well broken. The kernel when thus broken will give a finer flavor to the brandy, and increase the quantity.

When they are ground they must be placed in hogsheads and worked in the same way with apples, but distilled sooner or they will lose much more spirit by standing any time after fermentation than apples. It is therefore better to distil them a short time before they are done working than at any period after.

ART. XVI. How to double and single Peach Brandy.

The same process must be observed in running off peaches as in apples, except that the singling still ought not to be run so fast, nor so much fire kept under her, and more water used to prevent burning.

SECTION VI.

ARTICLE I. The best method of setting Stills.

If stills are not set right, great injury may accrue to them, in burning and damaging the sides, singeing the whiskey, and wasting of fuel too, are not the only disadvantages; but more damage may be done in six months, than would pay a man of judgment for putting up twenty pair.

If they are set with their bottoms to the fire, they are very apt to burn, without the utmost care of the distiller, in stirring her when newly filled with cold beer, until she is warm, and by previously greasing the bottom well when empty. If wood be plenty, stills ought to be set on an arch, but if scarce, the bottom ought to be set to the fire. The following method is calculated for a furnace of either two or four feet long, and with the bottoms exposed, or on an arch as the distiller may fancy.

Make up a quantity of well worked mortar, composed of the greater proportion of good clay, a little lime and cut straw.

Lay the bottom of the furnace with flag stones, or good brick, from two to four feet long, as may be deemed most proper, let it be from twelve to sixteen inches wide, and from twelve to fourteen high. Then if it is designed to turn an arch, set the end of a brick on each wall of the furnace, leaning them over the furnace, till they meet in the middle—so continue the range on each side, until the furnace is completely covered in, leaving a small hole for the flue leading to the chimney behind, leaning towards the side, from which the flue is to be started, to proceed round the bilge of the still, which passage must be ten by four inches wide.

After completing the arch as described, lay thereon a complete bed of mortar, well mixed with cut straw, set the still thereon, levelling her so that she will nearly empty her self by the stoop towards the cock; then fill up all round her with mortar to the lower rivets, carefully preventing any stone or brick from touching her, (as they would tend to burn her) ... then build the fender or fenders; being a wall composed of brickbats and clay well mixed with cut straw, build it from the commencement of the flue, and continue it about half round the still ... this is to prevent the flames from striking the still sides, in its hot state, immediately after it leaves the furnace, presuming that it will terminate before it reaches the end of this little wall or fender, between which, and the still, a space of two inches ought to be left for the action of the heat, which space preserves, and prevents the wall or fender, from burning the still; the mode in common practice, being to place it against the still, which will certainly singe or burn her. When this defender is finished, commence a wall, which continue round, laying a brick for a foundation, about four inches from the lower rivets; thus raising this wall for the flue, continuing it at an equal distance from the still, leaving a concave to correspond with the bilge of the still, and to be of precisely the same width and height all round the still. This precaution is absolutely necessary in building the wall of the flue exactly to correspond with the form of the still, and equally distant all round, for reasons 1st. The fire acts with equal force on every part of the still, and a greater heat may be applied to her, without burning. 2d. It has a great tendency to prevent the still house from smoking.

When the wall of the flue is completed round the still, and raised so high, that a brick when laid on the top of the wall will extend to the rivets in the breast of the still or upper rivets, then completely plaster very smooth and even, the inside of the flue, and then cover the flue with a layer of brick, with a slight fall, or leaning a little from the still outwards, so that if water were dropped thereon, it would run off outwardly, carefully laying a layer of clay on the top of the wall, on which the brick may rest, and thereby prevent the brick from burning the still; carefully forming the brick with the trowel, so as to fit the wall and rest more safely—cautiously covering them well with clay, &c. and closing every crevice or aperture, to prevent smoak from coming thro' or the heat from deserting