Distilling

• Most Scottish malt whiskies are distilled twice
• The 1st distillation uses a copper wash still
• Alcohol vapours rise to the top and pass through an arm at the top of the still called a lyne arm through to condensers where it is cooled and collected as ‘low wines’, at 25%ABV
• The shape of the still and the angle of the Lyne arm both affect the characteristics of the new spirit. This happens due to a process called reflux where due to the vapour condensing early as a result of bulges in the still or sharp angled lyne arms the condensed alcohol returns to the bottom to be distilled again. This will produce a finer spirit. Alcohol that passed straight through out of the still (no reflux action) will produce a heavier spirit
• A second distillation then takes place in a separate still to refine the spirit suitable for ‘cutting’. This is now at approx 70%ABV
• The second distillate then passes to a spirit receiver or safe
• The spirit is now cut into three sections–
  • foreshots (heads);
  • spirit cut (for making the final whisky);
  • feints (tails)
• This is to ensure that the best quality or most useable part of the spirit run is used for making whisky
• The spirit cut is about 20 % of the production
• 72-68%ABV has fruity esters characteristics
• 58%ABV will be heavier, oilier with fatty acids
• The foreshots and feints are recycled to charge the 1st distillation for the next batch

An example of a still

Another example of a still, note the shapes and the  different Lyne arm angles at the top of the stills

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