On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1434

flavorfulmaltandcornwhiskiesto60–80%.
Crudelydistilledmoonshineisonly20–30%
alcohol,andthereforeharshandeven
hazardous.
PotorBatchDistillation:SelectingVolatiles
by Time There are two ways for distillers to
separate the vapor into undesirable heads,
somewhat desirable tails, and the desirable
mainrunofalcohol.Theoriginalway,andthe
way that is still used for many of the finest
liquors, is separation in a simple pot still by
time.Itcantake12hoursormoreforabatch
ofbeerorwinetobeheatedclosetotheboil
and then distilled. The very volatile head
vapors come off first, followed by the main
alcohol-rich run, and then the less volatile
fusel-oil tails. So the distiller can divert the
initial vapors, collect the desirable main run
in a different container, and then divert the
latevaporsagain.Inpractice,distillersrepeat
thepotdistillation,thefirstpassgivingspirits


with 20–30% alcohol, and the second 50–
70%.

The structures of several different alcohols.
Methanol is a poison because our bodies
convertitintoformicacid,whichaccumulates
and damages the eyes and brain. Ethanol is
the main alcohol produced by yeasts. Butyl

andamylalcoholsaretwoofthe“higher,”or
longer-chain alcohols. When concentrated by
distillation, they contribute an oily
consistency to spirits thanks to their fat-like
hydrocarbontails.
Continuous Distillation: Selecting Volatiles
by Position The second way in which
distillers can separate the desirable volatiles
from the rest is by theirpositioninacolumn