1868 The complete Practical Distiller

177

SPECIAL DISTILLATIONS.

essential oil is seated which gives the lees taste, properly speaking, is, in fact, avoided by these means. Thus, it would be necessary, in the choice of the method to be followed in the distillation of lees, to discuss whether, on one side, the acquisition of quality obtained, with the loss of a certain portion of alcohol, is not more advantageous to the interests of the distiller than to obtain the whole of the alcohol, subject to the infectious taste of the lees of empyreuma, and, moreover, with the danger of all the difficulties attached to the distillation of half-fluid, half- solid substances. It is thought that the first of these two propositions unites the most causes in its favour ; and this opinion is the better founded, as it may be possible, by adopting the method which it embraces, to remove the only weak side which it presents. Suppose a given quantity of lees transformed into fluid wines by separating the solid substances by means of the press : the fluid matter should first be distilled by the same apparatus and the same j;^rocesses as wine, in the class of which these operations would thus place it ; and, besides, the solid substances might be distilled by means of the steam of water, with the disj^osition which has been recommended as useful in treating lees. It is thus that two qualities of spirits would be obtained — one of which would scarcely differ from that of fluid wines, and the other bearing all th^ taste of the lees, of which it might be freed by rectificat:i>n. This mode con- ciliates sufficiently, it is thought, the chxnc^s