ALCOHOL.— Brandy.
paid to the proper degree of cleanliness which shouldbe observed in the various utensils through which ithas to pass. In the improved forms of still a verysuperior article is obtained from inferior wines, butthe large proportion of essential oils in such winesspoils the flavour of the brandy.
An inferior variety of brandy, or eau de vie deMarcs , is obtained by distilling the dark-red winesof Portugal, Spain , and other wine-growing countries,the lees deposited by wines when kept, the marcs orrefuse of the grapes from the vine-press, the scrap-ings of wine casks, &c.
Distillation is with these inferior materials carried onin the ordinary way, but as the flavour is less regarded,the spirit is drawn off rapidly, and at a high tempera-ture. The marcs from the vine-press are preparedfor the purpose of distillation by breaking the cakesup into pieces, and throwing them into water. Atemperature of 70° to 80° Fahr. (21°T to 26°'6 C.)is kept up, and in the course of a short time fermen-tation sets in ; when this has ceased, the solution isracked off and distilled. The first distillate has awhitish colour, and is called blanquette , but this onredistillation yields a spirit of 22° or 24° Beau me.One pound of brandy is produced from 85 to 90 lbs.of cake.
The fermentation of the cakes is sometimes effectedin large pits, where they are covered with earth.The progress of fermentation is known by thrustingthe hand into the heap. When the temperaturedecreases, the fermentation is said to be finished;the contents are then taken out, water in properquantity added, and distilled. By this process 100lbs. of marcs yield 1 lb. of brandy.
When such liquors are distilled, the sedimentarymatter subsides, and is apt to carbonize on thebottom of the copper still; when it does so it com-municates a smoky flavour to the distilled liquor, inaddition to a hot fiery taste proceeding from thefusel oil of the skin of the fruit. Aubf.rgier hasproved that a few drops of fusel oil are sufficient totaint a pipe of 133 gallons of pure spirit.
In some distilleries the carbonization is hinderedby keeping the contents of the still in motion byagitators. Other manufacturers insert into the bodyof the still a basket to retain the sediment accom-panying the fermented liquor, thus preventingits contact with the lower part of the still. M. Re-boijl’s process is to inject steam into the still bymeans of a coil of piping. The stills in this case arelarge w r ooden boxes, to which worms are adapted inthe usual way, and the whole of the alcohol is drivenover by steam heat. M. Curandau’s apparatusconsists of a still, the neck of which is as wide as thebody, and 3 feet in height; brackets are placed atthe distance of 9 inches in the neck of the still, whichsupport several partitions; these are provided withshort pipes, pierced with holes, to allow the vapoursto circulate freely from the body of the still. Theneck being affixed, and the first partition introduced,wine lees are poured in, which are filtered by theperforated partition ; then the second, and a furtherquantity of lees, and so on till all the partitions are
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inserted, and the lees are about 6 inches thick on each.If the liquid drained from the marcs or lees be notsufficient to fill the still, water is added to make upthe proper quantity. Heat is then applied, and thesteam, as it passes off, expels the last portions ofspirit from the solid particles retained by the parti-tions in the neck of the still.
Most of the inferior kinds of brandy contain anacid which partly unites with the oil from the grapes,rendering the taste of the spirit unpleasant; agita-tion with a little quicklime not only removes theacid, but also the oil in a great degree. The matterleft in the still when dried and burned yields analkaline carbonate, which is disposed of for dyeingoperations.
Spirits of this class are used by the lower order ofpeople in France , and on account of their hot fierytaste are often preferred in England and othernorthern countries to a more genial produce. Cognacand Armagnac brandies contain about half theirweight of water, and owe their fragraney to thearoma, indigenous to the wine, being less disguisedby the fusel oil.
Ethyl pelargonate (C 2 II 6 , Cgllj-O.,), the ether ofpelargonic acid (C 9 II 18 0 2 ), originally described asoenanthic ether, is a liquid possessing a most powerfuland intoxicating odour. The aroma of wine is ingreat measure due to the formation of this etherduring fermentation. When wines or marcs con-taining this ether are distilled, an oily liquid passesover towards the close of the operation, whichconsists in great measure of crude ethyl pelargonate,and imparts the aromatic odour which cognac andother liquors possess. Pelouze first proved thisodorous principle of wine to be a compound ether.Mulder detected the same in the oil of grain-spiritand in other fermented liquors, and it is from thisether that quinces derive their distinctive perfume.
The effect of heat on several of the substancescontained in wines merits the attention of the dis-tiller. A temperature slightly too high sometimesdestroys a whole distillate, as empyreumatic andother products are generated.
When, to save expense in carriage, the spirit isrectified to a much higher degree than the above,the dealer, on receiving it at Paris, reduces it to themarket proof strength by the addition of water orof a little fragrant weak brandy; but the brandyproduced in this manner is not equal to that derivedfrom the distillation of Cognac wine at an incipientheat. This may be readily proved by submitting todistillation, with every precaution, brandy of asuperior quality; if the resulting spirit be thenbrought down to the ordinary strength with water,it will be plainly perceived that the liquid has beenconsiderably deteriorated by the operation. GenuineFrench brandy evinces a red reaction with litmuspaper, owing to a minute portion of acid; and whenkept for a considerable period in casks, it acquires anastringency which impairs its quality.
The brandy sold in England is, for the most part,artificial—the fabrication of the rectifying distiller.The following is one of the recipes for the purpose: