Modern Distillery Practice C. S. Boruff H i r a m Walker & S o n s , I n c . , Peoria, 111. to make every fermentation batch yield a EPEAL of prohibition ushered in an are absorbed and modified through asheavy whisky. Sanitation and exact important new phase of the business similation, while during the second stage (maturing) slow chemical reactions occur control keep this part of the operation in of manufacturing whisky. Chemline. Modem stills of high efficiency reistry, biology, and engineering meant little between the congeners (nonethanol conmove the more unruly congeners from the or nothing to the old industry, occupied stituents) of the distillate and the wood distillate before the aging process is as it was with its deep obeisances to age extractives, whereby the desired bouquet is attained. Both of these stages of started, instead of throwing the whole and hoary tradition. To t h e reborn inload of correction on the barrels as older dustry, science and technology have be- aging occur slowly and the time required for them depends definitely on the practices with batch stills did. Finally the come essential tools. extent of maturation required determines Age was the fetish of the distillers and kind and quantity of congeners present. of the drinkers of alcoholic beverages of The correct age is attained when the wood the character of the char in the barrels used for maturing. Barrels for distillates intwo decades ago and with many it still oc- extract and congener content are balanced. tended t o yield heavy-bodied whiskies are cupies a sacred niche. Even the niche has If the distillate has a low congener content, vanished before the enlightening discov- a relatively short time is needed to balance heavily charred, while refilled whisky this with wood extract and a light-bodied barrels are preferred for t h e maturing of eries of research which form the basis of whisky results. T o make a heavylight-bodied products. today's distilling practice. The conception of whisky of two decades Necessarily there are three steps in the bodied whisky requires a high-congener ago reached the point of making the prodmanufacture of beverage alcohol: fer- distillate, more wood extractives, and a longer aging period. uct an alcoholic solution of a quantity of mentation, distillation, and maturing. On this guiding principle, it is easily congeners—that is, compounds other than For many reasons which will become apethanol present in whisky. In other parent, the ancient practice of distillers possible to control the processes of ferwords, the congeners themselves became placed particular emphasis on maturing mentation and distillation to yield any the prime objective of the distillery and over long periods of time and the fetish degree of body desired and to adjust the the alcohol merely a convenient carrier for of age became the idol of the industry. aging conditions to fit. these flavors. On this basis long maturing The crude distillate of old-fashioned stills to permit the completion of slow chemical was harsh and unpleasant and long aging Present Practice reactions in the distillate and the dissolvin charred oak barrels was known to acing of extractives from the oak barrels concomplish a remarkable change in it. After The effect of this idea on practice has taining the spirits was essential. The new long maturing, whisky lost its rough been remarkable. Fermentations are conindustry, however, has been built upon harshness, acquired a pleasing aroma, and ducted on carefully selected raw materials the concept that the primary objective is delighted the palate. Chemists explained with strains of yeasts known to produce the alcohol in the finished whisky and that this as the removal of certain unwanted congeners of varieties and in the quantities constituents and the chemical rearrange- needed to achieve a desired result in the such congeners as are present make this potable. The difference between these two ment of others to yield a palatable result. finished whisky. N o longer are yeast culconceptions has enabled the new industry Either this fact failed to reach distillers or tures permitted to develop wild organisms of whisky distilling to they were too busy with provide whiskies of high other matters to heed it. potability and p a l a t a In any case, it has rebility, and yet whiskies mained for the reborn which may possess quite whisky industry to apply different characteristics this fact to its operations BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY PROCEDURE f r o m t h o s e of even a to the advantage of all. LACTIC ACID quarter century ago. YEAST The new technic is exemplified in the operaIn t h e o l d a r t , the LABORATORY MASTER LABORATORY MASTER tions of Hiram Walker & fermentation w a s c o n CULTURE: CULTURE Sons, in a plant at Peoria, \ jp*i.l
