THE ART

OF

MAKING WHISKEY, SO AS TO OBTAIN A BETTER, PURER, CHEAPER AND GREATER QUANTITY OF SPIRIT, FROM A GIVEN QUANTITY OF GRAIN. 

ALSO, THE ART OF CONVERTING IT INTO GIN. 

AFTER THE

PROCESS OF THE HOLLAND DISTILLERS, _WITHOUT ANY AUGMENTATION OF PRICE. _

By ANTHONY BOUCHERIE, OF LEXINGTON, KY. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH

BY C. M*******

LEXINGTON, KY. 

PRINTED BY WORSLEY & SMITH. 

1819

[Transcriber's Note: This edition is from Microfiche. All copies thatI've found are marked "Photographed from an imperfect copy. " Printererrors have been left as is, but noted. We cannot account for theaccuracy in some of the numbers, where the original was exceptionallydifficult to read. Where applicable, any changes are noted with a [TR]. Any other inconsistencies were left as in the original. A Table ofContents has been included in the HTML version. ]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, _District of Kentucky, to wit:_

Be it remembered, That on the 10th day of December, in the year of ourLord, 1818, and the forty-third year of the Independence of the UnitedStates of America, came ANTHONY BOUCHERIE, of the said district, anddeposited in this office, a copy of the title of a book, the rightwhereof he claims as author and proprietor, in the words and figuresfollowing, viz:

_"The Art of making Whiskey, so as to obtain a better, purer, cheaperand greater quantity of Spirit from a given quantity of Grain: Also, theart of converting it into Gin, after the process of the HollandDistillers, without any augmentation in the price. --By AnthonyBoucherie:"_

In conformity to the act of Congress of the United States, entitled "Anact for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books to the authors ann [TR: and] proprietors of such copiesduring the times therein mentioned. " And also to an act, entitled "An actsupplementary to an act, entitled an act for the encouragement oflearning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books to theauthors and proprietors of such copies, during the times thereinmentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designingand etching historical and other prints. "

JOHN H. HANNA, _Clerk of the District of Kentucky. _

[Library stamp: IMPERFECT IN ORIGINAL]

TO THE

HONOURABLE LEGISLATURE

OF THE

STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

GENTLEMEN OF THE SENATE, AND OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, _An immense and most fertile country, a republic where every individualenjoys the most unbounded freedom; such are the advantages whichcharacterise the United States of America, and render them the asylum ofthe oppressed Europeans. I was one of the number, and as early asJanuary, 1808, congress enacted a law dispensing me with the usual termof two years residence, for obtaining a patent. _

_It is the duty of every citizen to contribute to the progress of usefulknowledge, for the benefit and prosperity of his native or adoptedcountry. It is under that point of view that I now publish_ The Art ofMaking Whiskey, so as to obtain a greater quantity of Spirit from agiven quantity of Grain; the spirit thus obtained being purer andcheaper. Also, the Art of converting it into Gin, according to theprocess of the Holland Distillers, without making it dearer. 

[TR: This next paragraph is incomplete] _Give me leave, gentlemen, topublish this little w--[TR: work?] under the patronage of theenlightened Legisl--[TR: Legislature?] of the state which I have chosenfor my--[TR: residence?] is undoubtedly of a general utility fo--_ _butmore particularly an agricultural state, such as this, where every thingthat contributes to the success of agriculture, adds to the welfare ofthe commonwealth. It is therefore to promote that desirable end, that Ihereby renounce all the privileges granted me eight years ago, for thedistiller's apparatus, of which I give here a description. I invite alldistillers to use it the more confidently, as a long experience hasproved to me its utility. In describing the art of converting Whiskeyinto Gin, according to the process of the Holland Distillers, I flattermyself, that I give a greater value to a national production usuallyneglected througout [TR: throughout] the continent, and which will bethe principle of a considerable produce. Henceforth the Gin of theUnited States will be an important article of exportation for theiroutward trade, as well as for home consumption. _

_Receive, gentlemen, theAssurances of myProfound Respect, A. BOUCHERIE. _

PREFACE. 

The most usual drink in the United States, is whiskey; other spirituousliquors, such as peach and apple brandy, are only secondary, and fromtheir high price and their scarcity, they are not sufficient for thewants of an already immense and increasing population. As to wine, inspite of all the efforts and repeated trials made to propagate thegrape-vine, there is as yet no hopes, that it may in time become theprincipal drink of the Americans. 

To turn our enquiries towards the means of bringing the art of makingwhiskey to greater perfection, is therefore, to contribute to thewelfare of the United States, and even to the health of the Americans, and to the prosperity of the distiller, as I will prove in the sequel. 

The arts and sciences have made great progress; my aim is to diffuse newlight on every thing that relates to the formation of spirituous liquorsthat may be obtained from grains. Most arts and trades are practisedwithout principles, perhaps from the want of the means of information. For the advantage of the distillers of whiskey, I will collect and offerthem the means of obtaining from a given quantity of grain, the greatestpossible quantity of spirit, purer and cheaper than by the usualmethods. I shall then proceed to indicate the methods of convertingwhiskey into gin, according to the process of the Holland Distillers, without heightening its price. 

If the principles hereafter developed are followed, the trade ofdistiller will acquire great advantages, that will spread theirinfluence on agriculture, and consequently on commerce in general. 

THE ART OF MAKING WHISKEY, &c. 

CHAPTER I. 

OF SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS, OR SPIRITS. 

Spirituous liquors are the produce of vinous ones, obtained by thedistillation of these last. The art of making wine is of the remotestantiquity, since it is attributed to Noah; but that of distilling it, soas to extract its most spirituous part, dates only from the year 1300. Arnand de Villeneuve was the inventor of it, and the produce of hisStill appeared so marvellous, that it was named Aqua-Vitæ, or _Water ofLife_, and has ever since continued under that denomination in France;Voltaire and reason say that it might, with far more propriety, becalled _Aqua-Mortis_, or Water of Death. 

This liquor, called in English, _Brandy_, received from the learned thename of _Spirit of Wine_; time improved the art of making it stillstronger by concentration, and in that state it is called _Alcohol_. 

All spirit is the distilled result of a wine, either of grapes, otherfruits, or grains; it is therefore necessary to have either wine, or anyvinous liquor, in order to obtain spirits. 

CHAPTER II. 

OF THE FORMATION OF VINOUS LIQUORS WITH GRAINS, IN ORDER TO MAKESPIRITS. 

The art of extracting wine from the juice of the grape, not being theobject of this book, I shall confine myself to what is necessary anduseful to the distillers of whiskey; it is therefore of the vinousliquor extracted from grains, that I am going to speak. 

The formation of that kind of liquor is founded upon a faculty peculiarto grains, which the learned chymist, Fourcroy, has called _saccharinefermentation_. Sugar itself does not exist in gramineous substances;they only contain its elements, or first principles, which produce it. The saccharine fermentation converts those elements into sugar, or atleast into a saccharine matter; and when this is developed, it yieldsthe eminent principle of fermentation, without which there exists nowine, and consequently no spirit. 

Grains yield two kinds of vinous liquors, of which the distiller makesspirit, and the brewer a sort of wine, called _beer_. From a comparisonof the processes employed to obtain these two results, it will be foundthat the brewer's art has attained a higher degree of perfection thanthat of the distiller. They both have for their object to obtain avinous liquor; but that of the brewer is, in reality, a sort of wine towhich he gives, at pleasure, different degrees of strength; while thatof the distiller is scarcely vinous, and cannot be made richer. I willgive a succinct exposition of their two processes in order that they maybe compared. 

OF THE ART OF BREWING. 

The art of brewing consists:

1st. In the sprouting of a proportion of grain, chiefly barley. Thisoperation converts into a saccharine matter, the elements of that samesubstance already existing in grains. 

2dly. In preparing the _wort_. For that operation, the grain, havingbeen previously ground, is put into a vat, which is half filled up withwater; the rest is filled up at three different times with hotwater--the first at 100°, the second at 150°, and the third at 212°, which is boiling water. The mixture is strongly stirred each time thatit is immersed. By this infusion, the water lays hold of the sweetprinciples contained in the grain. 

3dly. The wort thus prepared, the liquor is filtrated, in order toseparate it from the grain, and then boiled until reduced to one half, in order to concentrate it to the degree of strength desired. In thatstate, 40 gallons of wort contain the saccharine principles of 200 wt. Of grain. 

4thly. The wort, thus concentrated, is drawn off in barrels, which arekept in a temperature of 80° or 85°. The yeast is thrown into it toestablish the fermentation, and in a short time beer is made, more orless strong, according to the degree of concentration, and more or lessbitter, according to the greater or lesser proportion of hops put intoit. 

Such are, in a concise view, the proceedings of the brewer. Let usproceed to those of the distiller of whiskey. 

OF THE DISTILLER OF WHISKEY. 

Whiskey is made either with rye, barley, or Indian corn. One, or allthose kinds of grains is used, as they are more or less abundant in thecountry. I do not know how far they are mixed in Kentucky; but Indiancorn is here in general the basis of whiskey, and more often employedalone. 

I have ascertained, in the different distilleries which I have visitedin the United States--

1stly. That, in general, the grain is not sprouted. I have, however, seen some distillers who put 10lbs. Of malt into a hogshead offermentation containing 100 gallons, which reduces it to almost nothing. 

2dly. That they put two bushels of ground grain into a hogshead offermentation containing 100 gallons, filled up with water. 

3dly. They had a ferment to determine the fermentation, which, whenfinished, yields two gallons of whiskey per bushel of grain, andsometimes ten quarts, but very seldom. I do not know whether thoseresults are exact; but, supposing them to be so, they must be subject togreat variations, according to the quality of the grain, the season, thedegree of heat, of the atmosphere, and the manner of conducting thefermentation. From my analysing the different sorts of grains, I knowthat Indian corn must yield the most spirit. 

From the above proportions, it results, that 100 gallons of the vinousliquor of distillers yield only 4 gallons of whiskey, and very seldom 5;that is, from a 25th to a 20th. It is easy to conceive how weak amixture, 25 parts of water to one of whiskey, must be; thus the produceof the first distillation is only at 11° or 12° by the areometer, thewater being at 10°. It is only by several subsequent distillations, thatthe necessary concentration is obtained, to make saleable whiskey. Theserepeated operations are attended with an increased expense of fuel, labor, and time. 

Such are the usual methods of the whiskey distillers. Before we comparethem with those of the brewer, let us examine the nature offermentation, and what are the elements the most proper to form a goodvinous liquor: thence we shall judge with certainty, of those two waysof operating. 

CHAPTER III. 

OF FERMENTATION. 

 "Fermentation is a spontaneous and intestine motion, which takes place amongst the principles of organic substance deprived of life, the maximum of which always tends to change the nature of bodies, and gives rise to the formation of new productions. "

 _Bouillon la Grange. --Manual of a Course of Chymistry. _

Fermentation has long since been divided into _spirituous_, _acid_, and_putrid_. 

It is only since the revival or new epoch of chymistry, that the learnedhave been occupied in researches on fermentation. I was the first whogave a new hint on this important part of natural philosophy, in 1785. It was then held as certain, that the saccharine substance was theprinciple of spirituous fermentation. A series of experiments enabled meto demonstrate the contrary, for I obtained a well crystallized sugar bythe fermentation of a substance which produces none by any other means. 

In September, 1785, I read a memoir to the Academy of Sciences, atParis. In that memoir I developed my theory. That learned body nominatedfour commissioners, for the purpose of examining my operations, andsanctioned my discovery by a report, in which it was acknowledged thatI had discovered a new truth, and ordered the insertion of my memoir inthe collection of those of the Foreign Associates. I attributed theprinciple of the spirituous fermentation to the mucilaginous substance. This has been since demonstrated, by attentively observing that italways begins with a motion of acid fermentation, which is produced bythe mucilaginous substance. The European chymists have since reasonedupon fermentation; each of them has produced a new system; none havebeen able to bring it to a regular demonstration; and the learned GayLussac has said, that fermentation is one of the most mysteriousoperations of chymistry. Be that as it may, there are facts that areascertained: let us endeavor to investigate them, that we may derivefrom them all the information which is necessary to us. 

It is incontestable that spirits are produced by the saccharinesubstance. Grains, however, supply it, although they are not sensiblysweet. This has made me suspect that the fermentation is at firstsaccharine, which produces the sweet substance that is necessary for theformation of spirit. It is thus that, by a series of internal motions, the fermentation causes the formation of the spirit to be preceded by aslight production of acid; that it transforms the vinous liquor intovinegar, which the same fermentation changes in time into an animalsubstance, destroyed in its turn by the putrid fermentation. Such arethe progressive changes operated by this all-disorganizing phenomenon, and the unerring march of nature to bring back all substances to theirrespective elements. 

The necessary conditions for the formation of vinous fermentation, are--

1st. The presence of the saccharine substance. 

2dly. That of a vegeto-animal substance, commonly called ferment, andsoluble in water. 

3dly. A certain quantity of water. 

4thly. A temperature of 70° to 75°. 

5thly. A sufficient mass. 

When these are obtained, in a short time the liquor becomes turbid; itbubbles, from the disengaging of the carbonic acid gaz, and the heatincreases considerably. After some days, these impetuous motionssubside; the fermentation ceases by degrees; the liquor clears up; thenit emits a vinous smell and taste. As soon as it ferments no more, itmust be distilled. However, some distillers have asserted that a greaterquantity of spirit is obtained when the liquor has acquired a certaindegree of acidity. Others are of opinion that it must be distilled assoon as it is calm. I am of this opinion, because the acid can only beformed at the expense of a little of the spirit, which is one of theprinciples of the acetous acid. Besides, the longer the liquor remainsin a mass, the more spirit is wasted by evaporation. 

CHAPTER IV. 

OF THE PROPORTIONS OF THE ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO FORM A GOOD VINOUSLIQUOR. 

What are the proportions of the elements necessary to form a good vinousliquor?

We owe the important knowledge of those proportions to the celebratedand unfortunate Lavoisier, who has proved, by the most accurateexperiments, that there must be

100 parts of dry sweet substance, or sugar400 parts of water 10 parts of ferment, or liquid yeast, which is reduced--- to 8 7-10ths of dry matter. 

510 parts in the whole, which produce 57 parts of dry alcohol; that is, containing no more water than is necessary to its formation, andconsequently as strong as it can be. Let us dwell for a moment upon theproportions just pointed out, and especially upon their result, whichexceeds any thing that has ever been obtained. Supposing the weight ofeach of those parts to be one pound, we shall have

100 lbs. Of dry sweet Substance, or sugar400 do. Of water 10 do. Of liquid ferment---510 pounds in the whole. 

100lbs. Of sugar is the quantity required to make 12-1/2 gallons of sirup, composed of 8lbs. Of sugar and 8lbs. Of water per gallon, 12-1/2 galls. 400lbs. Of water, at 8lbs. Per gall. Make 50 "The produce will be 57lbs. Of dry alcohol. 

A vessel containing one ounce of water, filled up with this alcohol, weighs only 16dwts. And 16grs. From this report, it appears that thespecific weight of the alcohol is, to the weight of the water, as 20 to24; that is, that water weighs 1/5 more than alcohol. If the 57lbs. Thusobtained were only water, it would only represent 7-1/8* gallons; butbeing alcohol, it weighs 1/6* less, and consequently gives 7-1/8 gallonsmore, the sixth of this quantity, (to wit:) 1-1/6* gallons, which, addedto 7-1/8*, make 8-7/24 gallons. 

[TR: Poor quality made it difficult to verify the above numbers and sonoted with an asterisk]

But 1 gallon of dry alcohol, extended in 2 gallons of water, gives 3gallons of liquor at 19°, which is called Holland, or first proof; aproduce surpassing all what has been hitherto known to the distillers. Iwill prove it by an example: 1 gallon of molasses yields only 1 gallonof rum, at 19°, to the rum distiller; still, molasses is a true sirup, composed of 8lbs. Of sugar, or sweet matter, more fermentable thansugar. 12-1/2 gallons of molasses, representing 100lbs. Of dry sweetmatter yield consequently 12-1/2 galls. Of rum, Holland proof, which isonly half the produce obtained by Lavoisier; an immense differencecapable of exciting the emulation of all distillers, as it proves theimperfection of the art. 

What are the causes of such a dissimilarity of product? We must seek forthem. 

1st. In the difference of the strength of the vinous liquor. Lavoisieremployed only 4 parts of water to 1 part of dry sugar. The rum distillerusually puts 10 gallons of molasses to 90 gallons of water, or theresidue of the preceding distillations. 

10 galls. Molasses contain80 lbs. Of sweet matter. 

90 gallons of water weigh 720lbs. ; therefore the proportion is, one partof sweet matter to 9 parts of water--whilst that indicated by Lavoisieris only 4 parts of water to 1 part of sugar. [A]

It is obvious how much richer this last must be, and that thefermentation thus produced has an energy far superior to the other. Thence results a rapid production of spirit, operated in a short time;whilst that of the rum distiller languishes more or less, and a slowfermentation wastes part of the spirit which it produces, even as it isforming. 

2dly. Bodies evaporate in proportion to the extent of their surface. Onehogshead of 100 gallons, should contain, according to Lavoisier'scomposition, the elements of 50 gallons of spirit, at 19°; whilst thatof the rum distiller contains only 12. Now, as every fermentable liquorrequires open vessels, the hogshead of the rum distiller loses as muchspirit as that of Lavoisier: hence it is plain how far the aboveproportion operates to the disadvantage of the fermer. 

3dly. Another source of loss arises in the distilling vesselsthemselves. Nothing is more imperfect than the stills of a whiskeydistillery. Lavoisier's were so perfect, that he made the analysis andthe synthesis in the most delicate operations [B]. The vessels of thewhiskey distillers, far from being hermetically closed, allow the spiritto evaporate through every joint. And this is not all: corroded by theacetous acid, they are full of small holes, particularly in the cap, where all the vapors collect themselves, as in a reservoir. It is easyto conceive with what rapidity they escape, which occasions aconsiderable waste of liquor. In proof of the truth of this observation, we may refer to the smell of whiskey, so strongly perceivable on theroads leading to a distillery, and preceeding from no other cause thanthat liquor wasting out of bad vessels, to the great loss of thedistiller. 

4thly. A fourth cause of loss arises from the worm of the still. Howevercareful in keeping the surrounding water cool, there is always oneportion of vapor not condensed. This is made more sensible in thewinter, when the cold of the atmosphere makes every vapor visible; uponexamination, it will be seen that the running stream of liquor issurrounded with it. In my description of my apparatus, I give the meansof obviating that evil. 

To these several causes, may we not add another? May not the productionof spirit be in a ratio to the richness of the fermenting liquor? It iscertain, that in every spirituous fermentation there is a portion of thesweet matter which remains undecomposed and in its original state. Lavoisier found that it was 4. 940; that is, nearly 5 parts in 100. Itmay possibly be the same in a weaker liquor; which would increase theloss, in the inverse ratio of the density of the liquor. Such are thecauses to which I attribute the great superiority of Lavoisier'sproducts; and from those observations I thought I could establish thefabrication of whiskey upon new principles. 

CHAPTER V. 

A COMPARISON OF THE PROCESSES OF THE BREWER WITH THOSE OF THE WHISKEYDISTILLER. 

From the experiments of one of the most learned chymists of Europe, ithas been demonstrated, that the proportions the most advantageous to theformation of a good vinous liquor, are, one part of dry sweet substanceto four parts of water; that is, that the sugar must form one fifth ofthe whole. We have, moreover, seen that 100lbs. Of dry sweet matter gave25 gallons of spirit 19°, which comes to 4lbs. Of sugar per gallon. 

We shall make use of that scale in comparing the processes of the brewerwith those of the whiskey distiller. 

Supposing the bushel of grain to weigh 50 pounds, and that it gives 2gallons of whiskey at 19°, each of which gallons is the product of 4lbs. Of sugar; then the strong beer which contains in 40 gallons the sweetmatter of 200lbs. Of grain, contains the elements of 8 gallons ofspirit, or 32lbs. Of dry sweet substance; and as the 40 gallons of thisbeer weigh 320lbs. The 32lbs. Of sugar form only one-tenth of it, whichis one half of Lavoisier's proportions. 

Those of the distiller of whiskey are 100lbs. Of grain to 100 gallons ofwater, or thereabouts: 100lbs. Of grain contain only 16lbs. Of dry sweetmatter: therefore, as the 100 gallons of vinous liquor weigh 800lbs. The16lbs. Of sugar form only its fiftieth part. 

Thence is seen how inferior the proportions of the whiskey distiller areto those of the brewer, and how far they are from good theory. But thebrewer aims only at producing a sort of wine, and succeeds; while, thedistiller wants to make spirit, and only obtains it in the manner themost expensive, and opposed to his own interest. 

CHAPTER VI

DEFECTS IN THE USUAL METHOD OF MAKING WHISKEY. 

1st. The most hurtful of all for the interests of the distillers, isundoubtedly the weakness of the vinous liquor. We have seen that theproportion of spirit is in a ratio to the richness of the fermentingliquor; that Lavoisier, by putting one-fifth of the mass of dry sugar, obtained twice as much spirit as the rum distiller, who puts in the samequantity, but drowns it in water. From those principles, which are notcontested, the distiller, whose vinous liquor contains only one-fiftiethpart of sweet matter, obtains the less spirit, and loses as much of itas he gets. 

2dly. Another defect is joined to this: bodies are dissolved by reasonof their affinity with the dissolving principle; the mucilaginoussubstance is as soluble in water as the saccharine substance. A mass of100 gallons of water having only 16lbs. Of sugar to dissolve, exertsit's dissolving powers upon the mucilaginous part which abounds ingrains, and dissolves a great quantity of it. There results from thatmixture, a fermentation partaking of the spirit and the acid, and if thetemperature of the atmosphere is moderate, the acid invades the spirit, which is one of its principles: nothing remains but vinegar, and thehopes of the distiller are deceived. 

Some distillers have been induced, by the smallness of their products, to put in their stills, not only the fluid of the liquor, but the flouritself. Hence result two important defects. 1st. The solid matterprecipitates itself to the bottom of the still, where it burns, andgives a very bad taste to the whiskey. In order to remedy thisinconvenience, it has been imagined to stir the flour incessantly, bymeans of a chain dragged at the bottom of the still, and put in motionby an axis passing through the cap, and turned by a workman until theebullition takes place. This axis, however well fitted to the aperture, leaves an empty space, and gives an issue to the spirituous vapors, which escaping with rapidity, thereby occasion a considerable loss ofspirit. 

3dly. The presence of the grain in the still, converted into meal, isnot otherwise indifferent. It contains a kind of essential oil, more orless disagreeable, according to its nature; which distilswith the spirit. That of Indian corn, in particular, is more noxiousthan that of any other grain; and it is the presence of meal in thestills, which causes the liquors obtained from grains to be so muchinferior to that of fruits. 

4thly. There is a fourth defect, at which humanity shudders, and whichthe laws ought to repress. Vinous liquors are more or less accompaniedwith acetone acid, or vinegar; but those proceeding from grain containstill more of this acid. The stills are generally made of naked copper;the acid works upon that metal, and forms with it the _acetate ofcopper_, or verdigrise, part of which passes with the whiskey. There isno distiller, who, with a little attention, has not observed it. I havealways discovered it in my numerous rectifications, and at the end ofthe operation, when nothing more comes from the still but what is calledthe sweet oil of wine. An incontestable proof of this truth is, that asthe stills of the distillers are of a green color in their interiorpart; that they are corroded with the acid, and pierced with numberlesslittle holes, which render them unfit for use in a very short time. Itis easy to conceive how hurtful must be the presence of verdigrise tothose who make use of whiskey as a constant drink: even those who use itsoberly, swallow a slow poison, destructive of their stomach; while tothose who abuse it, it produces a rapid death, which would still be theconsequence of abuse, if the liquor was pure, but is doubly acceleratedby the poison contained in the whiskey. It is easy to remedy so terriblean evil. The acetous acid has no action upon tin. By tinning the stills, the purity of the liquor will be augmented, and the distilling vessels, already so expensive, will be longer preserved. This operation must berenewed every year. The worms must likewise be tinned, if they arecopper; but they are better of tin, or of the purest pewter. 

Such are the defects of the present method of distilling whiskey. Havingexposed them, I must present the means of bringing to perfection thefabrication of a liquor of such general use. 

CHAPTER VII. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TO MAKE WHISKEY. 

[TR: The next two paragraphs were cut short, however attemptedre-constructed for clarity]

As it is demonstrated that the spirit is the more abundant in proportionto the richness of the vinous liquor, * it is therefore necessary toenrich that of the distillery* which is so deficient in that respect. Anexposition of* my processes will point out the means I employ to attain*that end. A large whiskey distillery should be* able to make 100 gallonsper day, or three barrels* making altogether that quantity. 

One gallon of spirit being the produce of 4 pounds* of dry saccharinematter, we must therefore have 400 pounds of this substance for the 100gallons we wish to obtain. 

If 1 bushel of grain gives 2 gallons of whiskey, there must be 50 toobtain a daily result of 100 gallons. I take Indian corn as the basisof the fabrication, as that of all the grains which yields the most. For, from my method, whatever grain is employed, the spirit is equallypure. 

I divide the still house into three different rooms, to wit:

One for Infusion;

One for Fermentation;

One for Distillation. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE ROOM OF INFUSION. 

It is here that the liquor destined to make whiskey, should be prepared, and made rich enough to procure a good fermentation. To this effect, there must be a mill with a vertical stone, moved by a horse, or anyother means of motion. Those mills are too well known for me to describethem more amply. The corn must be coarsely ground, so as scarcely to bebroke into three or four pieces: consequently the stone must not be tooheavy, for, at all events, the grain had better be too coarse than toofine. That mill should be placed in the infusion room, so as not to keepit dirty, nor to be too much in the way. It must grind, or rather break, 50 bushels per day. 

There must be a square kettle, 4 feet broad, 5 feet long, 1 foot deep. The kettle must be made in sheets of copper, one line thick, at least:the bottom, although flat, should have a slight swell inside, so as toavoid the expansion of the metal outside, from the action of the fire. This kettle must be placed upon a brick furnace, so that the longestparts should bear forwards, and the other against the chimney, fromwhich it must be separated by a brick wall eight or nine inches. Thesides, around which there must be a space to walk freely, should besupported by a wall 1-1/2 feet deep; the fore part upon such a wall, inthe middle of which is an iron door, fifteen inches square, in an ironframe, through which the fuel is introduced. 

The kettle is mounted upon the furnace, so as to bear upon the fourwalls about 4 inches, and rests upon a bed of clay, which must leave nopassage to the action of the fire; it is lined externally with bricks, and must have a pipe on one of its sides, to draw off the liquor. 

Under the kettle, 15 inches from the bottom, is a flue for the heat, running through all its length. It is 2-1/2 feet wide at bottom, extending like a fan at the top, about 6 inches on each side, so thatthe flame may circulate in all the breadth of the kettle. 

On the fore part of this flue, facing the door, is a hearth, occupyingall its breadth, and 2 feet long. The rest of the flue is paved withbricks, and rises insensibly 4 inches towards the chimney, in which itopens by two holes, 1-1/2 inches wide, 8 or 9 inches high. 

Immediately under the hearth, is a mash hole 4 feet deep, occupying allits capacity, and projecting 2 feet forward. This opening is necessaryto keep up a free circulation of air, and to take up the ashes. Itshould be covered with strong boards, not to hinder the service of thekettle. The hearth is made with an iron grate, more or less close, according to the nature of the fuel; if for wood, the bars must be abouttwo inches apart; if for coals, half an inch is sufficient. The furnacemust be built with care. The parts most exposed to the action of thefire must be built with soft bricks and potters' clay: soap stone wouldbe preferable, if easy to procure. The brick separating the kettle andchimney, must be supported with flat bars of iron, as well as the partover the door. 

CHAPTER IX. 

USE OF THE KETTLE. 

The kettle is destined to make the infusion of the grain, and boil it soas to convert it into wort. By that operation I make the liquor richer, which I intend for fermentation, and bring it to divers degrees ofstrength. 

I put into the kettle 100 gallons of water, and 4 bushels of corn, broken, as I said before, at the mill. I light a small fire, which Iincrease gradually, until the water begins to boil; during that time, the grain is stirred with a paddle. As soon as the ebullition isestablished, the grain is taken up with a large skimmer, and put todrain into a large basket hanging over the kettle; and when the grainhas been totally taken up, the fire is increased so as to bring thewater to boil again, until reduced to two-fifths, which degree ofconcentration is not rigorous, and the distiller may augment it as hisexperience shall direct. When thus concentrated, the liquor is drawn offthrough the pipe, and received into a tub or vat containing 130 or 140galls. 

100 gallons more of water are put into the kettle, with 4 bushels ofcorn; the fire conducted slowly, as before, until the degree ofebullition; the corn is taken off, and the liquor concentrated in thesame proportions; then drawn off as above, in the same tub. 

The same operation is repeated for the third time; the three unitedliquors are slightly stirred, and, still warm, transported into one ofthe hogsheads of fermentation, which it nearly fills up. 

As there must be four of these hogsheads filled up daily, the work atthe kettle must be kept going on, without interruption, until thatquantity is obtained, which may be done in about twelve hours. The grainwhich has been drained is carried to dry, either in the open air, or ina granary, and spread thin. When dry, it is excellent food for cattle, and highly preferable to the acid and fermented mash, usually used bydistillers to feed cattle and hogs: they eat the corn dried in the abovemanner as if it had lost nothing of its primitive qualities and flavor. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE ROOM FOR FERMENTATION. 

The room destined to the fermentation must be close, lighted by two orthree windows, and large enough to contain a number of hogsheadssufficient for the distillery. It may be determined by the number ofdays necessary for the fermentation; 30 or 40 hogsheads may suffice, each of 120 or 130 gallons. 

In the middle of the room must be a stove, large enough to keep up aheat of 75° to 80°, even in winter. A thermometer placed at one end ofthe room, serves to regulate the heat. 

As soon as the liquor is in the hogshead, the yeast, or fermentingprinciple, is put into it, stirred for some moments, and then left toitself. A liquor as rich as the above described ferments with force, andruns with rapidity through all the periods of fermentation. It is fit todistil as soon as that tumultuous state has subsided andthe liquor is calm. 

The essential character of the spirituous fermentation, is to exhale thecarbonic acid gaz in great quantity. This gaz is mortal to mankind, andto all the living creation. Thirty hogsheads of fermenting liquorproducing a great deal of this gaz, the room should be purified of it byopening two opposite windows several times a day. This is the moreessential, as the pure air, or _oxigen_, contributes to the formation ofthe spirit, of which it is one of the constituting principles. A shorttime, however, suffices to renew the air of the room. 

It is useless to remark, that the hogsheads must be open at one end, andrest upon pieces of wood elevating them some inches from the ground. They must remain uncovered during the fermentation; and afterwards becovered with a flying lid, when the liquor is calm. 

CHAPTER XI. 

OF THE ROOM FOR DISTILLATION. 

We have hitherto considered the liquor as containing only principlesupon which the air has no action, and from which it can only extractsome watery vapors; and, in fact, all those principles contained in theliquor are fixed. The action of the fire may concentrate, but notvolatilize them. 

The liquor is now changed by the fermentation; it contains no longer thesame principles, but has acquired those which it had not, which arevolatile, and evaporate easily. They must therefore be managedcarefully, in order not to lose the fruits of an already tedious labor. The spirit already created in the fermented liquor, must be collected bythe distillation; but in transporting it to the still, the action of theexternal air must be carefully avoided, as it would cause theevaporation of some of the spirit. A pump to empty the hogsheads, andcovered pipes to conduct the liquor into the still, is what has beenfound to answer that purpose. A good distilling apparatus is undoubtedlythe most important part of a distillery. It must unite solidity, perfection in its joints, economy of fuel, rapidity of distillation, tothe faculty of concentrating the spirit. Such are the ends I haveproposed to myself in the following apparatus. 

The usual shape of stills is defective; they are too deep, and do notpresent enough of surface for their contents. They require a violentfire to bring them to ebullition; the liquor at bottom burns before itis warm at the top. 

My still is made upon different principles, and composed of two pieces, viz. The kettle, and its lid. The kettle, forming a long square, is likethe kettle of infusion, already described, and only differs from it inbeing one foot deeper. The lid is in shape like an ancient bed tester;that is to say, its four corners rise into a sharp angle, and come tosupport a circle 16 inches diameter, bearing a vertical collar of abouttwo inches. This collar comes to the middle of the kettle, and iselevated about 4 feet from the bottom. The lid is fastened to thekettle. The collar receives a pewter cap, to which is joined a pipe ofthe same metal, the diameter of which decreases progressively to alittle less than 3 inches: this pipe, the direction of which is almosthorizontal, is 5 feet long. 

My still, thus constructed, is established upon a furnace like that ofthe infusion room. I observe that the side walls are only raised to thehalf of the height of the kettle. A vertical pipe is placed on the sideopposite to the pewter one, and serves to fill up the still: it isalmost at the height of the fastening of the lid, but a little above. Onthe same side, on a level with the bottom, is a pipe of discharge, passing across the furnace: this pipe must project enough to help toreceive or to direct the fluid residue of the distillation; its diametermust be such as to operate a prompt discharge of the still. 

OF THE URNS. 

These are copper vessels, thus called from their resembling thosefuneral vases of the ancients. Mine have a bottom of about 18 inchesdiameter; they are two feet high, have a bulge of 6 inches near the top, and then draw in to form an overture of about 8 inches. 

On one side, towards the top, there is a copper pipe 2 inches diameter, projecting externally 2 or 3 inches, and bent in an elbow: it enters theinternal part of the urn, and descends towards the bottom, withouttouching it; there it is only a slight curve, and remains open. 

The external part of that pipe is fitted to receive the pewter pipe ofthe still; they are made so as to enter into one another, and must fitexactly. The round opening at the top of the urn receives a cap with apewter pipe, made like that of the still. It is likewise five feetlong, and its size in proportion to the opening: this goes and joinsitself to the second urn, as the still does to the first. The pipe ofthis second goes to a third, and the pipe of this last to the worm. Thethree urns bear each a small pipe of discharge towards the bottom. 

This apparatus must be made with the greatest care. Neither the joints, the different pipes of communication, nor the nailings, must leave thesmallest passage to the vapors. The workman must pay the greatestattention to his work, and the distiller must lute exactly all the partsof the apparatus that are susceptible of it: he must be the more carefulas to luting it, as this operation is only performed once a week, whenthe apparatus is cleaned. At the moment of the distillation, the masteror his foreman must carefully observe whether there is any waste ofvapors, and remedy it instantly. The still and urns ought to be welltinned. 

CHAPTER XII. 

EFFECTS OF THIS APPARATUS. 

Although the still might contain 400 gallons, there must be only 200gallons put into it: the rest remaining empty, the vapors developsthemselves, and rise. In that state, the vinous liquor is about one footdeep, on a surface of 20 feet square: hence two advantages--the first, that being so shallow, it requires but little fuel to boil; the second, that the extent of surface gives rise to a rapid evaporation, whichaccelerates the work. This acceleration is such, that six distillationsmight be obtained in one day. The spirit contained in the vinous liquorrises in vapors to the lid of the still, there find the cap and itspipe, through which they escape into the first urn, by the side pipeabove described, which conducts them to the bottom, where they arecondensed immediately. 

But the vapors, continuing to come into the urn, heat it progressively:the spirituous liquor that it contains rises anew into vapors, escapesthrough the cap and pipe, and arrives into the second urn, where it iscondensed as in the first. Here again, the same cause produces the sameeffect: the affluence of the heat drawn with the vapors, carries themsuccessively into the third urn, and from thence into the worm, whichcondenses them by the effects of the cold water in which it is immersed. 

The urns, receiving no other heat than that which the vapors coming outof the still can transmit to them, raise the spirit; the water, at leastthe greatest part of it, remains at the bottom: hence, what runs fromthe worm is alcohol; that is, spirit at 35°. It is easily understood howthe vapors coming out of the still are rectified in the urns, and thatthree successive rectifications bring the spirit to a high degree ofconcentration: it gets lower only when the vinous liquor draws towardsthe end of the distillation. As soon as it yields no more spirit, thefire is stopped, and the still is emptied in order to fill it up again, to begin a new distillation. 

Each time that the vinous liquor is renewed in the still, the watercontained in the urns must be emptied, through the pipes of discharge atthe bottom. 

Metals are conductors of the _caloric_. The heat accumulated in thestill, rises to the cap, from whence it runs into the urns: with thisdifference--that the pewter, of which the cap and pipes are made, transmits less caloric than copper, because it is less dense: and thatbodies are only heated in reason of their density. 

However, a great deal of heat is still communicated to the worm, andheats the water in which it is immersed. I diminish this inconvenienceby putting a wooden pipe between the worm and the pipe of the third urn. Wood being a bad conductor of caloric, produces a _solution ofcontinuity_, or interruption between the metals. The wood of this pipemust be soft and porous, and not apt to work by the action of the fire:however, to avoid its splitting, I wrap it up in two or three doubles ofgood paper, well pasted, and dried slowly. This pipe is one foot long, and hollowed in its length, so as to receive the pewter pipe of thethird urn at one end, and to enter the worm at the other; thereby theworm is not as hot, since it only receives the heat of the vapors whichit condenses. 

Notwithstanding all these precautions, it heats the water in which it isimmersed after a length of time; and whatever care may be taken to renewit, all the vapors are not condensed, and this occasions a loss ofspirit. I obviate this accident, by adding a second worm to the first:they communicate by means of a wooden pipe like the above. The effect ofthis second worm, rather smaller than the first, is such, that the waterin which it is plunged remains cold, while that of the first must berenewed very often. By these means, no portion of vapors escapecondensation. The liquor running from the worm is received into a smallbarrel, care being taken that it may not lose by the contact of the airproducing evaporation. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

OF FERMENTS. 

They are of two kinds; the very putrescent bodies, and those supplied bythe _oxigen_. Animal substances are of the first kind: _acids_, neutralsalts, rancid oils, and metallic _oxids_, are of the second. 

Were I obliged to make use of a ferment of the first class, I wouldchoose the glutinous part of wheat flour. This vegeto-animal substanceis formed in the following manner:--A certain quantity of flour is madeinto a solid dough, with a little water. It is then taken into thehands, and water slowly poured over it, while it is kneaded again. Thewater runs white, because it carries off the starchy part of the flour;it runs clear after it is washed sufficiently. There remains in thehands of the operator a dough, compact, solid, elastic, and reduced tonearly the half of the flour employed. This dough, a little diluted withwater, and kept in the temperature indicated for the room offermentation, passes to the putrid state, and contracts the smell ofspoiled meat. Four pounds of this dough per hogshead, seem to me to besufficient to establish a good fermentation. A small quantity of goodvinegar would answer the same purpose, and is a ferment of the secondclass. 

But are those means indispensable with my process? I do not think so. 

1st. The richness of my vinous liquor, and the degree of heat to which Ikeep it, tend strongly to make it ferment. In fact, the infusion of thegrain, by taking from it its saccharine part, takes likewise part of itsmucilaginous substance, which is the principle of the spirituousfermentation, which it establishes whenever it meets with the othersubstance. 

2dly. The hogsheads themselves are soon impregnated with a fermentingprinciple, and communicate it to the liquor that is put into them. 

3dly. The rum distiller employs advantageously the residue of hispreceding distillation, to give a fermentation to his new molasses: thisresidue has within itself enough of acidity for that purpose. Might notthe residue of the distillation of my vinous liquor have the sameacidity? It contains only the mucilaginous substance already acidulated. Some gallons of that residue to every hogshead, would, I think, be avery good ferment. 

Lastly. Here is another means which will certainly succeed: it is toleave at the bottom of each hogshead three or four inches of the vinousliquor, when transported into the still for distilling. This rising, which will rapidly turn sour, will form a ferment sufficient toestablish a good fermentation. 

The intelligent manager of a distillery must conduct the means Iindicate, towards the end which he proposes to himself, and mustcarefully avoid to employ as ferments, those disgusting substances whichcannot fail to bring a discredit on the liquor in which they are knownto be employed. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

OF THE AREOMETER, OR PROOF BOTTLE. 

This instrument is indispensable to the distiller: it ascertains thevalue of his spirits, since it shows the result of their differentdegrees of concentration. I will give the theory of this usefulinstrument, as it may be acceptable to those who do not know it. 

Bodies sink in fluids, in a _compound ratio_ to the volume and thedensity of those fluids, which they displace. It is from that law ofnature, that a ship sinks 20 feet in fresh water, while it sinks onlyabout 18 feet in sea water, which has more density on account of thesalt dissolved therein. 

The reverse of this effect takes place in fluids lighter than water, asbodies floating in them sink the more, as the liquor has less density. Upon those principles are made two kinds of areometers--one for fluidsdenser than water; the other for those that are lighter: the first arecalled _salt proof_; the second _spirit proof_. Distilled water is thebasis of those two scales: it is at the top for the _salt proof_, and atthe bottom for the _spirit proof_; because the first is ascending, andthe other descending; but by a useless singularity, the distilled waterhas been graduated at 10° for the spirit proof bottle, and at 0 for the_salt proof_. We shall only dwell upon the first, because it is the onlyone interesting to the distiller. 

Water being graduated at 10° in the areometer, it results from thencethat the spirit going to 20°, is in reality only 10° lighter than water;and the alcohol gaaduated [TR: graduated] at 35°, is only 25° abovedistilled water. 

The areometer can only be just, when the atmosphere is temperate; thatis, at 55° Fahrenheit, or 10° Reaumur. The variations in cold or heatinfluence liquors; they acquire density in the cold, and lose it in theheat: hence follows that the areometer does not sink enough in thewinter, and sinks too much in the summer. 

Naturalists have observed that variation, and regulated it. They haveascertained that 1° of heat above temperate, according to the scale ofReaumur, sinks the areometer 1/8 of a degree more; and that 1° less ofheat, had the contrary effect: thus the heat being at 18° of Reaumur, the spirit marking 21° by the areometer, is really only at 20°. The coldbeing at 8° below temperate, the spirit marking only 19° by theareometer, is in reality at 20°. 2-1/4 of Fahrenheit corresponding to 1°of Reaumur, occasion in like manner a variation of 1/8 of a degree:thus, the heat being at 78-1/2°, the spirit thus marking 21°, is only at20; and the cold being at 87°, the spirit marking only 19° by theareometer, is in reality at 20°. 

It is easily conceived, that extreme cold or extreme heat occasionimportant variations. For that reason, there are in Europe inspectors, whose duty it is to weigh spirits, particularly _brandy_: for thatpurpose they make use of the areometer and the thermometer. Anareometer, to be good, must be proved with distilled water, at thetemperature of 55°. Areometers, being made of glass, are brittle, andmust be used with great care. This inconvenience might be remedied, bymaking them of silver; I have seen several of this metal. A goodsilversmith could easily make them; I invite those artists to attend tothat branch of business; it might become valuable, as the distillerswill be more enlightened. 

CHAPTER XV. 

ADVANTAGES OF MY METHOD. 

The first of all, is derived from the composition of a vinous liquor, richer, and more proper to raise a vigorous fermentation, than thatwhich is obtained by the usual method. Now, as it is proved that thequantity of spirit is in proportion to the richness of the fermentingliquor, mine therefore yields a great deal more spirit than any other. 

2dly. We have seen that a heat of 75° or 80° must be kept up in thefermenting room: this being summer heat, proves that such a rich vinousliquor runs no risk of passing to the acid state with as much rapidityas that of the common distillers; and, consequently, that he who willfollow my method can work all the year round without fear of losing thefruits of his labor, as it often happens--an advantage precious for himwho makes it his sole business. The only change he has to make, is tosuppress the heat of the stove, when the temperature of the atmosphereis sufficient to keep up a good fermentation in the liquor. 

As to my distilling apparatus, this is not a new idea. I present it tothe public under the sanction of experience. I had it executed inPhiladelphia eight years ago, after having obtained a patent. It wasmade for a rum distillery, where they still continue to use it. Itpresents the greatest advantages. 

The first is, that with a single fire, and a single workman, I distiland rectify the spirit three times, and bring it to thedegree of alcohol; that is, to the greatest purity, and almost to thehighest degree of concentration. 

2dly. It lowers the cost of transportation, by two-thirds; because onegallon at 35° represents three gallons at the usual degree. Themerchant, being arrived at the place of his destination, has only to add2 gallons of water to 1 gallon of this alcohol, in order to have 3gallons of whiskey; which is of a considerable advantage, either forland or sea carriage. 

3dly. As the price of spirits is, in trade, in proportion to theirdegree of concentration, those made with my apparatus being at a veryhigh degree, need no more rectifying, either for the retailer, theapothecary, or the painter; and the considerable expenses of thatoperation turn entirely to the profit of the distiller, as they aretotally suppressed. Distillers may hereafter sell spirits of all degreesof concentration. 

Such are the advantages of my processes. I offer them the more willinglyto the public, as they are founded upon the most approved principles ofnatural philosophy: by reflecting upon them, distillers will be easilyconvinced of it. 

 * * * * *

However perfect the description of a new thing may be, our ideas of itare always defective, until we have seen it put into practical use. Fewmen have the means of establishing a distillery on a new plan, and eventhe most enlightened may make notable errors. Few, besides, are boldenough to undertake, at their own risks, the trial of a new fabrication:they are afraid of losing, and of being blamed for having too lightlyyielded to the persuasion of new projectors. Hence it follows that auseful discovery falls into oblivion, instead of doing any good. 

But no discovery of general utility ought to experience that fate in arepublic. Government itself ought to promote the first undertaking, or acertain number of citizens ought to join in order to give it a start. Itis the more easy in this case, as my apparatus requires very littleexpense. 

If a distillery according to my directions, was established in some ofthe principal towns of the state, my method would then make rapidprogress, and thus prove the truth of the principle which I haveadvanced; and the distillers, after having meditated upon my method inthis book, would come and satisfy themselves of its goodness, by seeingit put into practice, and yielding the most perfect results, with allthe advantages for trade that may be expected: hence would naturallyensue the rapid increase of distillation, and consequently that ofagriculture and commerce. 

THE ART OFMAKING GIN, AFTER THE PROCESS OF THEHOLLAND DISTILLERS. 

Having indicated the most proper means of obtaining spirits, I will nowoffer to the public the manner of making _Gin_, according to the methodsused by the distillers in Holland. It may be more properly joined to theart of making whiskey, as it adds only to the price of the liquor, thatof the juniper berries, the product of which will amply repay its cost. Many distillers in the United States have tried to imitate the excellentliquor coming from Holland, under the name _gin_. They have imagineddifferent methods of proceeding, and have more or less attained theirend. I have myself tried it, and my method is consigned in a patent. 

But those imitations are far from the degree of perfection of theHolland gin: they want that unity of taste, which is the result of asingle creation; they are visibly compounds, more or less well combined, and not the result of a spontaneous production. 

To this capital defect, which makes those imitations so widely differentfrom their original, is joined their high price, which prevents itsgeneral consumption. In fact, it is made at a considerable expense: thewhiskey must be purchased, rectified and distilled over again with theberries. These expenses are increased by the waste of spirit occasionedby those reiterated distillations. This brings the price of this falsegin to three times that of the whiskey: consequently the poorer sort ofpeople, whose number is always considerable, are deprived of thebenefits of a wholesome liquor, and restrained to whiskey, which iscommonly not so. 

The methods used in Holland, have reduced gin to the lowest price; thatof the juniper berries being there very trifling, and increasing butlittle the price of whiskey: still that small addition is almost reducedto nothing, as will be seen hereafter. 

The United States are, in some parts, almost covered with the treecalled here _cedar_; which tree is no other than the juniper, and growsalmost every where, and bears yearly a berry, which is in reality thejuniper berry. Some Hollanders knew it at Boston, collected considerablequantities of it in Massachusetts, and shipping it to some of theeastern harbors, sold it as coming from Holland. I have seen some atPhiladelphia ten years ago, at the house of a Hollander, who received itfrom Massachusetts in hogsheads of about ten hundred weight, and sold asthe produce of his own country, what was really that of the UnitedStates. 

I collected myself a great quantity of those berries, at Norfolk, Va. Bymeans of negroes, to whom I paid one dollar per bushel of 40 lbs. Being2-1/2 cts. Per pound. Two years ago, it sold for 6 cents inPhiladelphia, and bore the same price at Pittsburgh. 

There is a great deal of cedar in Kentucky, and consequently of berries. I have seen them at Blue Licks, and they abound near the Kentuckyriver. 

Although an incredible number of those trees is cut down daily, there isstill a greater number standing, in the United States; and millions ofbushels of berries are lost every year, while only skilful hands arewanted, to make them useful to mankind. The juniper berry has manymedical properties: it is a delightful aromatic, and contains an oilessential, and a sweet extract, which by the fermentation yields avinous liquor, made into a sort of wine in some countries; that iscalled wine for the poor: it strengthens the stomach, when debilitatedby bad food or too hard labor. 

The Hollanders, who have long had the art of trading upon every thing, have constantly turned even their poverty to account. They have immensefabrications of gin, and scarcely any juniper trees. They only collectthe berry in those countries where it is neglected as useless, as inFrance and Tyrol, which produce a great deal of it. The United Statesneed have no recourse to Europe, in order to get the juniper berries:they have in abundance at home, what the Hollanders can only procurewith trouble and money. They can therefore rival them with greatadvantage; but they must follow the same methods employed in the Hollanddistilleries. 

The juniper berry contains the sweet mucous extract, in a greatproportion: it has therefore the principle necessary to the spirituousfermentation; and, indeed, it ferments spontaneously. When fresh, andheaped up, it acquires a degree of heat, but not enough to burn, as Ihave ascertained: it is therefore safely transported in hogsheads. Fromthat facility of fermenting, it must be considered as a good ferment, and as increasing the quantity of spirit, when joined to a fermentableliquor. 

A distiller may at pleasure convert his whiskey into gin. He needs onlyto perfume the wort which he puts in fermentation, by adding a certainquantity of the berries, slightly broken: the fermentation is thencommon to both; their sweet mucosity enriches that of the wort, andincreases the spirit, while at the same time the soapy extract, which isthe proximate principle of vegetation, yields the essential oil, whichperfumes the liquor. [C]

The fermentation being common to both substances, unites themintimately; and when, by the distillation, the spirit is separated fromthe water, there remains an homogenous liquor, resulting from a singlecreation, and having that unity of taste, and all the properties ofHolland gin, because obtained by the same means. 

One single and same distillation can therefore yield to the distillereither gin or whiskey, as it requires no more labor, and its conversioninto gin costs only the price of the berries, which repays him amply, either by the spirit it yields, or by its essential oil, which, floatingon the surface, may be easily collected. This oil bears a great price, and the Hollanders sell much of it. 

We have seen, in the 10th chapter of this work, that my hogsheads forthe fermentation, contain about 120 gallons of wort, being theproduction of the saccharine extract of 12 bushels of grain. Theintelligent distiller will himself determine the quantity of berriesnecessary for each hogshead to have a good aromatic perfume. He maybegin with 10 lbs. Per hogshead; and will, upon trial, judge whether ornot this quantity is sufficient, or must be increased. At any rate, economy should not be consulted in the use of the berries, since theirprice does not increase that of the whiskey. This low price mustnaturally become the principle of an immense fabrication of gin; andhenceforth it will be an important article of exportation for the UnitedStates, as well as a considerable and wholesome object of homeconsumption. 

FOOTNOTES:

[A] Some rum distillers make a stronger vinous liquor, but it is stillvery far from Lavoisier's proportions. Others add successively newmolasses to their vinous liquor, and thus prolong their fermentation, without making their liquor stronger, and consequently without obtainingmore spirit. This is absolutely contrary to the true principles ofdistillation. 

[B] See his beautified operation on the decomposition of water. 

[C] I must here observe, that the juniper berry, as well as severalother fruits, contains two kinds of essential oil: one is the proximateprinciple of vegetation, and the other is the superabundant oil: thefirst is combined with the soapy extract, and dissolves in water; whilethe second does not unite with it, and floats on the surface. 

END