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STILLS: SHAPES ALSO MATTER (PART II)

Let's follow the path of the alcoholic vapors together to understand how their separation, concentration and condensation is a simple process which however can take place in different ways depending on the shape of the still and the hand of the master distiller who will have to know the characteristics of the material as best as possible before and of its own still.

Generally the alcoholic vapors rise from the boiler, where the material to be distilled is loaded, and pass through all the forms of the still up to the refrigerator, and then exit from the test mouth. If the vapors from the boiler encounter a very large head, for example a pear-shaped one, then there will be an expansion with a consequent decrease in temperatures and reflux of a part of the distillate in the boiler. The more swellings and constrictions there are, the more there is reflux and therefore there is greater contact with the copper catalyst of many reactions that generate aromatic complexity.

Very important in the path of the vapors is the orientation of the gooseneck (the last part of the still where the alcoholic vapors pass before reaching the refrigerator). The more the still has an elongated shape, which develops in height, and has a gooseneck that reaches the refrigerator with an upward inclination, then the more there will be reflux as the inclination will make the molecules go back heavier ones that condense, allowing only the most volatile aromatic molecules to pass through. If, however, the mouth of the gooseneck is inserted into the refrigerator with a downward orientation, then a backward flow will not be possible and heavier molecules will also pass through which will characterize the distillate much more, making it organoleptically less light. In the points of the still where there are bottlenecks it should also be remembered that due to physical laws the vapors accelerate their travel, therefore this characteristic also serves to create the right movement dynamics for the transport of the aromatic molecules that you want to select in the distillate.

However, if there is a very narrow passage it may happen that the vapors are accelerated excessively resulting in less control over the separation mechanisms. Finally, the refrigerant must always be commensurate with the rest of the system so as to allow the flow of alcoholic vapors to be properly cooled. It will then be the task of the master distiller to manage the flow of vapors by regulating the refrigeration water and the fire regime in the various moments of distillation.

The shapes of the stills are the most disparate and represent one of the characterizing factors of a distillate, just look at the differences between the Charentais still for Cognac and the stills used for Whiskey, those used for grappa or fruit stills which are the most versatile and allow the distillation of raw materials with different boiling points while maintaining the separative balances.

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