The process of distilling whisky is very briefly as follows. A mash, made from malt and barley or other material, is fermented with yeast, and after skimming is run into stills to separate it from the water and other products. Several forms of stills are used for distilling whisky; many of them are heated by open fires, imparting a smoky flavour to the spirit (like Scotch whisky); these are known as " pot" stills, and the whisky is called "pot" still whisky. Other forms of stills are heated by steam, the object being to distil off the spirit as strong as possible and to keep the water in the still. The sketch above shows a simple form of " pot " still. A is the still proper; B is the fireplace for heating; C is the connecting pipe to the worm D; E is a lai'ge vessel or condenser filled with cold water, into which cold water runs continually and is syphoned away again; and P is the receiver for the distilled spirit. The spirit obtained from the first still is usually weak, and is re-distilled twice, more water being removed each time; the product of the third distillation is whisky, which is stored in vats for a long period to mature it and improve its flavour.

Apparatus for Distilling Whisky.