The Distillation in the Pot Still

Contents
TheDistillationinthePotStill
1.ThePrincipleofDistillation
2.WashStill
3.TheSpiritStill
4.TheSpiritSafe
InthefirstpartofourseriesonScottishpotstillswedealtcomprehensivelywiththeirgeometricalshapeandtheirproduction.
Thisarticledealswithoperatingthestills.Ofcoursedifferentdistilleriesoperatetheirstillsdifferently.Someheatfastandthendistil
slowly,othersheatanddistilfast.Notonlythegeometricalshapeofapotstillbutespeciallythedistillationprocessaffectsthetaste
ofthenewmakespirit.

GlenfiddichStillhouse

1. The Principle of Distillation

ThefollowingchartshowstheprincipalsetupofaScottishmaltwhiskydistillerywithtwopotstills.Distillerieswiththreepotstills
andtripledistillationareextendedbyonestepcorrespondingly.Manylargedistillerieshavefour,sixormorepotstills,whicharen't
operatedinseriesbutinparallel.
Theconnectionofthepotstillscanbeevenmorecomplex,ifforexamplethefirstdistillatefromseveralwashstillsorfromseveral
productioncyclesisledintoasinglespiritstill.Aratioof3:2or4:3ofwashstillstospiritstillsisalsocommon.Youcanalsotriple
distilwithtwopotstillsbydistillingthefinalproductoftheseconddistillationagainintheemptiedspiritstill.
Thechartshowsasimpledistillerywithawashstillandaspiritstill.

Functionalchartofapotstilldistillery
TheprincipleofdistillationwasalreadyknowntotheancientEgyptians.Differentevaporationpointsallowfortheseparationof
substancesbyheating.Thesubstancesthatevaporatefirstatlowtemperaturesmaybecollectedandseparatedfromtherest.But
theEgyptiansuseddistillationonlyforproducingperfume.OnlyinthemiddleagesCelticmonksdiscoveredtheproductionof
whiskythewateroflife.
Throughalcoholicfermentationthewash(beer)containsapproximately8%to10%alcohol(ethanol=ethylalcohol).Thealcoholic
strengthisdeterminedbytheyeastusedandthedurationofthefermentation.
Whenheatingthewash,thesubstanceswithalowerboilingpointthanwaterevaporatewithrisingtemperatures.Thewashcan't
beheatedfurtherthanuptotheevaporationpointofthelowestboilingsubstance.Allheatenergyisabsorbedbythesubstance
thatchangesitsaggregatestate(fromliquidtovaporous),andtheliquidcan'tbeheatedfurther.Notuntilallthesubstanceshave
evaporatedatthisspecificboilingpointcantheremainingliquidbeheatedfurther.
Atstandardairpressure(14.69psi,1013hPa)ethanolevaporatesat173,3F(78.5C).

2. Wash Still

RoyalLochnagarWashstill

Thewashstillhasasimpletask:Itisusedforthefirstdistillationofthewash,orinplainEnglish:thebeer.Thecapacityofthestills
andthewashbacksisusuallycoordinated.4000US.Gal.(15,000L)to8000US.Gal.(30,000L)aremostcommon.
Whenhotsteamisledintotheheatingcylinders,thewashstillstartstoheatthewash.Throughtheheatmovement(convection)
insidethestillthewashisturned.Thewashrisesalongthewarmareasofthecylindersandsinksbackalongthecoolerareas.
Aftersome30minutesitgetsinteresting:Abovetheheatingcylinderstheliquidstartstoboil,andlightsubstances(predominantly
flavourcarryingesters)riseintotheairabovetheliquidlevel.
Theconstantsupplyofgaseoussubstancesleadstoaslightoverpressureinthestill,andthegasesriseintotheneckofthestill.
Buttheydon'tgetfar.Thewallofthestillisstilltoocold,andtheevaporatedsubstancescondenseatthewall.Astimegoesby
moreandmoredropletsaccumulateatthewallandformbiggerdropsthatflowbackintothepot.
Withrisingenergyinputthewholewashstartstoboilatatemperatureofapproximately173F(78C).Thewholestillheatsup,
andtheliquidsurfacebecomesturbulent.Thehighheatinputgeneratesmightybubbles,andtheliquidfoamsandsplashesupto
theupperpartoftheneck.

MacallanInspectionwindowofawashstill
That'swhywashstillshavesmallwindowsintheneck,throughwhichthebubblingwashcanbewatched.Foriftheboiling
temperatureofthewashistoohigh,liquidcangetintothecondenserviathelynearm.Thiswouldn'tbesobadifthewashdidn't
containsolidpartsofthebarleygrains,whichclogthethinpipesofthecondensers.

Thereforethestillmanmustbewatchful.Distilleriesthatdon'thavethetimeforwatchingtheboilingputsoapintothewash,which
destroysthesurfacetensionofthewashandpreventsitfromboilingover.Sincethesoapliquefiesat122140F(5060C)and
onlyboilsattemperaturesfarexceeding212F(100C),nosoapmoleculescangetintothedistillate.
Thefirstdistillationinthewashstillstakesapproximately4to7hours.Thewashstillhasatemperatureofapproximately173F
(78C),theevaporationpointofethanol.Thewholeheatinputisusedfortheevaporationofthealcohol.
Thedistillationusuallyendsafter4hours.Exceptfor1%abv,allalcoholhasevaporatedandhasbeencollectedinthelowwines
receiver.

Mannochmorelowwines&spiritreceiver
However,thelowwinesreceiverdoesn'tcontainonlyalcoholbutalsoallsubstanceswithalowerboilingpointthanalcohol,aswell
assomesubstanceswithahigherboilingpoint.Theyhavebeentornoutofthemoleculegroupsbythebubblingliquidandhave
beenpulledintothelowwinesreceivertogetherwiththelightalcoholmolecules.Amongthesemoleculesisalsoplentyofwater,
whichformsanazeotropewiththealcohol.Afterthefirstdistillationthelowwinestypicallyhaveanalcoholcontentof20%to25%.
Afterdistillationthepotale(alsocalledspentwash)remainsinthewashstill.Ithasaresidualalcoholcontentofapproximately1%.
However,notonlyalcoholbutalsovaluableproteinsandmineralsfromthebarleygrainsremaininthepotale.That'swhyafter
emptyingthestillthepotaleisconcentratedthroughevaporationandsoldashighqualityanimalfeed.

GlenfarclasConcentrationsystemforpotale
Sincethelargepotstillsonlyhaveawallthicknessofafewmillimetres(ca.3/16")theyareverysensitivetooverpressureand
negativepressure.Theworstcasescenarioisthereforethecollapseofastillcausedbynegativepressure.Whenthedistillation
hasbeenstopped,thepotaleisdrainedandthepotstillcoolsdown,negativepressureiscreatedinside.Ifitbecomestoohighthe
potstillimplodeswithaloudbang.Sincethishappenedmorethanonceinthepast,everypotstillnowhasanautomatedpressure
reliefvalvethatkeepsthepressurebalancewiththeenvironment.Forfillinganddrainingthestills,there'sanotherventvalve,
whichisusuallyoperatedsimultaneouslywiththepumps.

FettercairnAutomatedpressurereliefvalve(top)and
manualventvalve(bottom)
Thetablebelowshowsthedistillationbalanceofawashstilldistillation.

Wash

LowWines

SpentWash

Liter/gallon(US)Total

30.000/7925

11.212/2960

18.748/4952

Vol.%alkocol

10%

25%

1%

Liter/gallon(US)alkocol

3.000/793

2.813/743

187/49

Thefiguresinthedistillationbalanceshowthatthereductionofthewatervolumefromthewashtothelowwinessignificantly
reducestheseconddistillationvolumeforthespiritstill.
Insummary,thesolepurposeofthefirstdistillationistoreducetheliquidvolumeby1/3andtoremovethesolidpartsofthegrains
thatarestillinthewash.
Thisfirst,heavydistillationusuallytakesonlyfourhoursandthusaffectsthetasteofthespiritonlylittle.Theextremeheatingof
thewashandthebubblingliquidarethereasonwhymanyheavyfuseloilsalsogetintothelowwinesbesidealcoholandwater.

3. The Spirit Still

RoyalLochnagarSpiritstill
Theseconddistillationinthesmallerspiritstillsiscarriedoutmuchmorecarefullyandslowly.Ittypicallytakesapproximately8
hours.Sincethistakesdoubleaslongasthefirstdistillation,oftentheresultoftwowashstilldistillationsiscollectedinthelow
winesreceiverandfilledintothespiritstillasawhole.

Onlyfewdistillerieshavesuchconcentrationsystemsbecausetheyareexpensive.ThetownofRothesinSpeysideoperatessuch
asystemforallnearbydistilleries.Inordernottolosetheresidualheatenergyinthepotaleduringtransport(itstillhasa
temperatureofapproximately158F,70C),thewashstillisusuallydrainedviaaheatexchanger,whichreturnsthepotalesheat
energytoafuturedistillationprocess.

DallasDhuPotalereceiver(spentwashtank)&heatexchanger
Asdescribedinthefirstpartofthisarticle,thespiritstillhasthebiggerinfluenceonthetasteofthenewmakespirit.Thesecond
distillationiscarriedoutmuchmorecarefullysothealcoholandtheflavoursubstancescanbeseparatedmoreeffectivelyfromthe
water.That'swhythespiritstillsdon'tneedwindowstowatchtheboilinglowwines.
Thedistillationprocessitselfisthesameasinthewashstill.Thelowwinesareheated,andbeforetheboilingpointofalcoholis
reachedthemorevolatileforeshotsevaporatefirst.Theseforeshotsarepredominantlylightcompoundssuchasethylacetateand
volatileesters,whichhaveapungentaroma.

Functionalchartofapotstilldistillery

4. The Spirit Safe

Sincetheaggressiveforeshotsareunwantedinthenewmakespirit,theyareredirectedinthespiritsafeandnotledintothespirit
receiver.Thefunctionalchartfromaboveisshownagaintoillustratethefunctionofthespiritsafe.
Thisspiritsafehasalonghistoryandaspecialfunction.UnderBritishlawallpotstillsandpipeworkmustbepadlocked.Sothe
stillmancannottastethespirit.Thenhowishesupposedtoknowwhentheforeshotshaverunthroughandthedesiredmiddlecut
hasstarted?

GlenfarclasSpiritsafewithhydrometersandthermometers
Thefirstthingexperienceteachesastillmanisthetimeneededtoheatthestilluntilthemiddlecutappears.Sincethousandsof
gallons/litresmustbeheatedtomorethan158F(70C),ittakessometimeuntilthefirstspiritrunsthroughthespiritsafe.Then
theforeshotsrunforabout20minutes.Inordertodeterminetherightmomenttoswitchthespiritflowsothemiddlecutcanbe
collected,thespiritsafecontainsseveralglassboxesinwhichthespiritcanbecollectedandinstrumentsstarttoswim.Ifyou
measurethedensityofthespiritwithahydrometeryoucandetermineitsalcoholcontentwithachart.Whiletheforeshotsare
running,thealcoholcontentofthespiritsinksfromapproximately85%to75%.

GlenfarclasSpiritsafewithswitchesforthespiritflow
Yetthisisnottheonlyinstrumentthatmustbemonitored.Thedensityoftheliquiddependsheavilyonitstemperature.Sothe
temperatureisalsomeasuredinordertorectifythedensity.Withdensityandtemperaturemeasured,thestillmancanthenread
thealcoholcontentoffacharthangingnexttothespiritsafe.
Whathappenstotheforeshots?Theyaren'tpouredawaybutledbackintothelowwinesreceiver.However,theforeshotsaren't
enrichedbythisconstantreflux.Thisiswheretherealmagicofdistillationhappens.Theaggressiveforeshotsaretransformedinto
enjoyablearomaticsubstancesthroughcatalyticreactionswiththecopperofthespiritstill.Thisisacontinuousprocess,andthe
quantityofforeshotsremainsconstantinthespiritstill.
Aftertheforeshotshavereachedthelowwinesreceiver,thestillmanchangestheflowdirectioninthespiritsafeandleadsthe
middlecutintothespiritreceiver.Ifhedoesittooearlythespirittastestooaggressive.Ifhedoesittoolateitdoesn'tmatter,since
theliquidthatisledintothelowwinereceiverisagainusedinthenextspiritdistillation.Thusnoalcoholiswasted.

AberfeldySpiritreceiverandfillingofcasks
Thedistillationofthemiddlecutmustbecarriedoutslowlyandcarefully.Ifthespiritstillisheatedtoomuch,therefluxof
condensingsubstanceswithahigherboilingpointatthewallofthestillisprevented.Thereforefuseloilscanpassthelynearm
andgetintothespiritreceiver.
Whilethemiddlecutisbeingcollected,whichtakesapproximatelythreehours,thealcoholcontentfallsfrom75%to60%.But
evenafterswitchingat60%abv,thedistillationcontinues.Thefuseloils(faints)thatappearnowareledbackintothelowwines
receiverwheretheyareagaincatalyticallytransformedbythecopperduringthenextdistillationrun.Thedistillationofthefaints
goesonforalongtimeandisonlyhaltedwhenaresidualalcoholcontentof1%isreachedsonovaluablealcoholislostwiththe
liquidremaininginthespiritstill(calledspentlees).
Youdon'toftengetthechancetoviewalowwinesreceiverfromtheinside.Itcontainsamilkygreywhitemixofalcoholandwater
onwhichthethin,oilylayeroffaintsswims.
Thedistillationprocessisnowcomplete.Thedistillationbalancefortheseconddistillationinthechartbelowshowstheemerging
quantityofnewmakespirit.Inourexampleof7925gal.us.(30.000L)ofwashwith10%abv,theresultingquantityof734gal.us.
(2.780litres)ofalcoholmeansayieldof92.6%.

LowWines

rawwhisky

SpentLees

Faints&Foreshots

Liter/gallonstotal

11.252/2972

4.117/1088

3.376/892

3.759/993

Vol.%alcohol

25%

67,5%

1%

Liter/gallonsAlcohol

2.813/743

2.279/602

34/9

Particularlyinterestinginthebalancearethefaintsandforeshotsthatareledbackforredistillation.Theyincreasetheamountof
liquidofthelowwinesaswellastheiralcoholcontent.Sincetheyareatransititemappearingineverynewdistillation,theyare
neglectedinthebalance.Thisinitiallyconfusingfactisthereasonwhythealcoholcontentofthelowwinesisalternatelystated
between20%and27%intechnicalpublicationsorwhenmentionedinadistillery.Forthebalanceinourexamplewesimply
assumedanaveragecontentof25%inthefirstdistillationrunand67.5%inthesecondrun.Inourexamplethespentleesamount
to30%ofthevolumeofthefirstdistillate.Thisis,likeallthefiguresinthebalances,justaneducatedguess.
Ifyouwanttoknowmoreabouttheproductionofpotstillsfollowthislink.

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