WHISKY, the name applied to a well known liquor distilled from corn, barley, wheat, oats and other grains; potatoes, beet and other roots and sometimes molasses and subsequently refined, colored and flavored by various proc esses. However under regulations under the Federal Food and Drug Act the name whisky alone is limited to grain distillates. Whisky from malt alone is made in the Scotch dis tilleries as follows: The malt is bruised upon cylinders and the quantity intended to be mashed is put into the mash pan, water at a temperature of about 170° F. being then added. After two or three hours' agitation the whole is left to repose for an hour and a half, and then the worts are drawn off to about one-third of the water employed. About two-thirds of the first quantity of water of a somewhat higher tem perature is put into the pan, and the agitation is renewed for about half an hour. After a second period of repose these second worts are drawn off. Both infusions are now cooled down as quickly as possible to the temperature of or 70 to prevent souring; the wort is cooled down by being exposed in shallow coolers to currents of air, or by being passed through serpentine tubes surrounded with cold water. More water may be let into the pan, and a third wort drawn off, which may be fixed with the other worts, or used instead of water for the first infusion of malt. The quantity of sac charine matter converted into alcohol depends upon the proportion of ferment or yeast intro duced into the worts; if too little be used, a portion of the sugar will remain undecomposed; if too much, the spirits will have an unpleasant taste. Generally the worts are let down at the specific gravity of 1.050 or 1.060, and at a tem perature of 60° to 50°. For every 100 gallons a gallon of good porter yeast is added and thoroughly incorporated by agitation. An hour after the addition of the yeast fermentation begins to show itself by a ring of froth around the edges of the vat, and in about five hours frothy bubbles cover its whole surface. Large vats generally afford a better result than small ones, owing to the equality of the fermenting process. It is considered good worts when the specific gravity comes down to that of water and superior worts when it falls to 0.995. In about 48 to 60 hours the wash begins to get clear and comparatively tranquil, and is then ready for distillation. In its simplest form the still con sists of a copper boiler into which the wash is poured. This vessel is furnished with a close head terminating in a bent tube which passes in a spiral form through a vessel filled with cold water. (See DISTILLATION). On the application of heat to the still the spirit begins to rise in vapor at 175°, along with more or less steam. These vapors arc condensed in passing through the spiral tube, and trickle in fluid form into a receiver. The product of this first distillation is called low wines. This is again distilled at a lower temperature, which gets rid of part of the water and of the fetid oils that had come over with the alcohol Great purity and strength can only be obtained by repeated distillation. The casks or packages into which these spirits are put are never charred, as in America. hut
preference is given to empty wine or rum casks which impart both flavor and color, and when plain casks are used, flavoring and coloring is accomplished by means of blending wines. If nothing whatever is added to the spirits which are put in plain casks, the coloring and flavor ing is attributable to the tannic acid extracted from the wood, and the oxidation of the alde hydes in combination with the ethyl alcohol.
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In the United States, Kentucky, Maryland and Pennsylvania whiskies, or those represented to be such, constitute the majority of those con sumed for drinking purposes, either medicinal or otherwise. Kentucky whiskies are known as Sour Mash, Sweet Mash and Bourbons and Pennsylvania and Maryland whiskies as Eastern Ryes. At the head of the various processes of distillation, for excellence of quality of the spirit produced thereby, stands that own as "fire copper,' which is the method that originally established the high reputation of whisky in these States; those since employed, while giving a larger yield of spirit to the bushel of grain, procure It at the expense of the quality and flavor thereof. In this process the corn and rye meals are scalded or mashed, with hot spent beer, which is the liquid residue of the previous distillation. The mash is then allowed to cool to the proper temperature, when malt is added, and the mash, diluted with a sufficient quantity of water, is left to ferment the time estab lished by law. The diluted mash when fermented is called beer. The beer is distilled in three different ways. In the very smallest distilleries, it is sometimes boiled in copper stills, over wood fires; the vapor, passing through a copper coil or worm, immersed in cold water, is condensed and delivered into a receiver. The condensed liquid is called low wines or singlings. Sin only a small amount of spirit This manner of boiling the beer is seldom used, as the large quantity of grain contained in the beer makes it apt to cake in the still; and, be coming scorched, it gives the whisky a strong, smoky flavor, a very little of which, however. is not considered objectionable. The singlings are doubled or again distilled in small copper stills, or doublers, over wood fires and the vapor again condensed in a copper. worm, whence it is delivered into the receiving cistern. Another name for doublings is high wines. The usual way of distilling sour mash whisky is to boil the beer in a wooden still by admitting steam, the vapor being condensed into sin glings; the singlings are doubled as above. In the third way the beer is boiled in a copper still by steam confined in a copper pipe placed inside the still. The singlings are doubled in small copper stills, over wood fires, in the same manner described. This latter way is con sidered a great improvement, as it avoids both the scorching of the grain in distilling the beer and the admission of live steam, while it pre serves all the characteristics so highly _prized in 'sour-mash, fire copper' whiskies. The yield by the sour-mash process is from two to three gallons to the bushel of grain.