Article by: Eimi

LIST OF DISTILLING TERMS

aging - the storage of distilled spirits in order to allow it to mature and mellow in flavor while absorbing some of the flavor and color of the wood barrel in which it was kept (though alcohol can also be aged in glazed ceramic pots)

column still - a still in which the mash or wash is poured into a column full of porous plates and can be continuously distilled (as versus a pot still which can only distill one batch at a time), can produce high alcohol content as each stage acts as a separate pot still and therefore can reach a final product of up to 96% alcohol

condensation - when a gas or vapor, such as steam, becomes a liquid

condenser - a vertical pipe connected to the Lyne arm of a still through which vapor passes and is cooled as it travels through a coil surrounded by cool water in order to cause the vapor to condense back into a liquid and dip out into the waiting vessel

congener - impurities found in the mash or wash which are not the desired alcohol

cut - the point in which the distiller changes collection containers during the distillation process in order to separate out the foreshot, head, heart and tail

distillate - the liquid that is collected from condensed vapor in a still

distillation - the process of converting a liquid into steam, and then collecting it's condensation in order to get a more pure form of the liquid

distillation column - part of a still which is usually filled with perforated plates through which the steam from the mash passes through on it's way to the Lyne arm, this column can also be curved (in which case it is called a swans neck) in order to catch impurities and eliminate the need for inserted plates

ethanol - the clear liquid produced during fermentation; alcohol

fermentation - the conversion of sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol by yeast

fermenter - the container in which mash or wash is fermented, usually made of metal

foreshot - the first liquid to come from the distilling process, usually discarded or re-distilled because of the high content of volatile and unwanted compounds

fusel oil - a type of congener made up of volatile alcohols, fatty acids, and acid compounds that can be the cause of hang overs

head - impurities which are collected from the distilling process after the foreshot and before the heart or tail, some of the late head might be used to add flavor to the alcohol, but most will likely be re-distilled

heart/middle run - this is the desired alcohol collected during the distillation process and comes after the foreshot and head but before the tail

Lyne arm - part of a still through with vapor passes which connects the top of a distillation column to the top of the condenser

malt - a grain which has been steeped in order for it to germinate before the process is halted and the grain dried to be used later in brewing or distilling mash

mash/wash - a mixture of grains and water that is heated in order to promote fermentation and is later put into a still to be distilled

pot still - a still with a lower pot in which mash is heated, allowing the steam to travel up into a distillation column, through the Lyne arm, and down into a condenser where it will turn into liquid and be collected

proof - the amount of alcohol measured in .5% alcohol to volume (therefore, 30 proof is 15% alcohol)

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