409
When the distillers first worked from sugar, they only obtained upon an average from• cwt - 10-09 gallons imp. of proof spirit; but they afterwards got no less than 11-92gallons.
. 4 he following experiment, which I made upon the fermentation of West India molassesmt0 spirits, for the information of the said committee, may prove not uninteresting to®V. readers. 150 lbs. were dissolved in water and mixed with 2 gallons of yeast,Weighing exactly 20 lbs. The wash measured 70 gallons, and had a spec, gravity of:^647 at 60° F. In two days the gravity had fallen to 1-0055; in three days to'0022; and in five days to 1-001. The temperature was kept up at from 80“ to 90“ F.,OUfing the last two days, by means of a steam pipe, to favor the fermentation. TheProduct of spirits was 11 gallons, and -AA of a gallon. Now 150 lbs. of the abovepasses were found to contain of solid matter, chiefly uncrystallizable, 112 lbs. And aslbs. of sugar are estimated by the revenue laws to afford by fermentation 11J gallons?• °f proof spirit, the result of that experiment upon molasses must be considered“Sfactory, bearing in mind that the saccharine substance in molasses has been not onlyP “‘ally decomposed by heat, but is mixed with some of the glutinous or extractive matter1 U'e cane.
n. , ca the alteration of the excise laws relative to distillation in 1825 and 1826, whenp tf'ssion was given to set the wort at lower gravities, the quantity of spirits producedp 01 1 quarter of corn has been much increased, even up to fully 20 gallons; and thes tJP° rt i°u of malt has been much diminished. The latter was soon reduced from threefifth " t * lS ma hj a(1< t I° ur sevenths barley, or two fifths malt and three fifths barley, to one, ®f malt and now to one tenth or even one sixteenth,tvith ® lscuss ‘ 011 having lately taken place in Ireland between certain persons connectedg r . Hie distilleries and the officers of the excise, whether, and to what extent, rawr e „ Worts would pass spontaneously into the vinous fermentation, the Board in London lo settl te< * me t0 su P eiaIlterl fi a series of researches in a laboratory fitted up at their office,exp er - important point. I shall content myself here with giving the result of one
gr a i n l ® ea ', out of several, which seems to me quite decisive. Three bushels of mixedWhipp 'p e f e taken, consisting of two of barley, one half of oats, and one half of malt,of w ’ “ e ing coarsely ground by a hand-mill, were mashed in a new tun with 24 gallonsl- 04 gj er 155“. The mash liquor drawn off amounted to 18 gallons, at the density ofc °Urse ’ f an ^ temperature of 82“ F. Being set in a new tun, it began to ferment in theUpop . 12 hours, and in 4 days it was attenuated down to gravity 1-012. This yielded,the np ^’.Nation in low wines, 3-22 gallons, and by rectification, in spirits, 3-05 ; whilelCco r( j ailtlt y equivalent to the attenuation by the tables was 3-31, being an excellentThe ■ l ' Ce * n suc ' 1 uircumstances.
to i tn “ o 1 . n <luisitoria! regime imposed by law upon our distilleries, might lead a strangerthe fpj’® 6 V lat our lesislators were desirous of repressing by every species of annoyance°f these^ 3 , 1 ' 011 the fiery liquid which infuriates and demoralizes the lower population®°tiv e *'ii aa fi s - Hut alas! credit can be given them for no such moral or philanthropiceit P a Hdit neeess ‘ty of the exchequer to raise a great revenue, created by the wastefulthe state, on the one hand, and the efforts of fraudulent .ingenuity on the^ X!i, hinaUo a ^ e - P a y ment: of the high duties imposed, are the true origin or that regime.
, ns in. distilleries are constantly making by the officers of excise. There is a
» o^nai, - L — the officers take their accounts and gauges,
occupy several hours. At 10 o’clock they again survey,
* Te y at r tanneries are constantlytuake^ in the morning, when
®°in§ 0Ver a i cu lation3 which occupy seveiai auuts. jii luuuuba mej a^am suucj,! le s ucceel* 6 premises, where they continue a considerable time, frequently till
o E a °t by*th °® cer coraes on duty; at 2 in the afternoon another survey takes place,
a noth»1 e Same I 560 ? 10 ; at 6 in the evening the survey is repeated; at 10 there8ttr »ey s of TJ surve y by an officer who had not been engaged in any of the previouse Sulq r at day. He is not relieved till 6 o’clock next morning. In addition to these0 5 r . Ve yor and » ll0nS ’ ** le distilleries are subject to frequent and uncertain visits of theT^fiitecl.a ^f nera ' surveyor. “We are never,” says Mr. Smith, the eminent distiller0 >fore " h 7 11 “ out their hands.”*
WaT* 8 ' 1 draw e ^ menle ^ wort goes into the still, a calculation is made of the quantityWk c ** ar ger n t? 1 l * le wash back, and which is first pumped into what is called thea cc |. he distill " l * le quantity in the wash charger exceeds the quantity in the washall , to the 6r 1S , c ' lar " e 4 u pon the higher quantity; if it contains Jess, he must paythe cans ferred t' V fi 1 * >ac * £ ’ as the larger quantity. When the quantity of wash is
di s -.' Vas h is ° . le c ^ ai " er i the discharge cock of the wash charger is unlocked, andweu lo be drawn nfT ~— A
Xv a‘sh ai ?^ r, § cocker n° °^* fr° ,n tbs charger into the still, the charging and
^ ut through t L le st ^ being Rocked by the officer. There can be no transfer of15 forked*int ®*P um P s » 'ybich are locked also. The first distillation from the0 1 le low-wine receiver, which is also a locked up vessel; then of
* Report of Committee on Molasses, 2198.