Pot Stills Work
A pot still is a type of still used to produce whiskey, rum and Armagnac. The process is generally used to make low-proof spirits, but it can also be used for higher proof spirits.
Pot Stills are made from copper. Copper is good at conducting heat and is used to separate sulphurous compounds out of the alcohol. As a result, a pot still is one of the most important elements of a distilled spirit. It is often considered a classic instrument, and can add personality to a distilled spirit.
Pot stills are made from a number of parts. They consist of an upper part, a lower part, a condenser, a swan neck and a kettle. All of these components work together to make the final spirit.
How Do Pot Stills Work?
Pot stills are typically made from copper, but are sometimes constructed from stainless steel or a combination of both. The lower part of a pot still contains a large cauldron, with a special bottom. In the 1970s, most stills were heated with coal. However, these days, indirect heating with hot steam is common.
Pot stills are usually a round shape. This makes them look similar to a big teapot or a kettle. But inside, they are very different. A conical or tall neck at the top of the pot still allows liquid alcohol to run through different columns depending on what the product will be. Typically, the top and bottom of a pot still are conical towards the center.
Pot stills are mainly used for making high-flavor spirits. A distillery based around a pot still could produce as much as 5,000 gallons of whisky per year. Since the mash is very low in alcohol, the pot still is primarily used to make a low-proof, high-flavor spirit.
The pot still’s shape, however, can have a significant effect on the flavor of the distilled spirit. A swan-neck pot still, for instance, has a bulge at the lower end of the neck, which helps to separate lighter and heavier substances. Similarly, a taller pot still can also help to separate substances that have a different boiling point.
A swan-neck pot still may be very simple in design, or it may have many features. For example, it may have boil balls or pinched waists. Or it may have a wide, lantern-shaped neck. These shapes can be very useful for distilling rums and Armagnacs.
When distillers first started using pot stills, they looked for a way to make the system more efficient. They sought to create a more potent and higher-quality product.
Today, many stills are computer-controlled or monitored. Some are even equipped with smartphone apps, so that the distiller can control them from a distance. While stills have come a long way, they remain a staple of the distilled spirits industry. Whether you are looking to buy a new still or just learn more about the process, there are plenty of resources available.
Column stills, on the other hand, are much taller and more complex than pot stills. They have several chambers stacked on top of each other. Each of these chambers has a perforated copper plate on the bottom.
