LOW WINE POT STILL OR POT STILL DISTILLATION

Description

Pot stills are used to make many of the world’s great spirit styles, such as single malt scotch, cognac, many rums, and most mezcal. Conversely, large industrial column stills make the bulk of the alcohol produced on Earth. But the rudimentarily reliable pot still remains king in some important circles.

Pot stills form the basis of batch distillation. This means a specified amount of liquid goes into the still and gets distilled into spirit. Then the leftover dregs are dumped, the still gets cleaned out, and the whole process begins anew. This contrasts with continuous distillation which is…well, continuous, but that’s another story for another time.

The function of the pot still starts fittingly enough inside the pot. The pot is the large tub-like base that the rest of the components of the still attach themselves to. This is where the liquid to be distilled starts its transformative journey. The pot may be heated through a variety of means. This includes a steam jacket lining the outside walls of the pot or even a steam coil inside the pot itself. Traditionally, a direct flame from a burner is placed underneath the pot. This is common in cognac production and some scotch distillers stand by this method.