1872 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks (Mixellany)

50 Alcohol with Gin, but is lighter and more stomachic; it is stronger than Gin, and is undoubtedly also the best spirit for general use. The Whisky distilled from malt is esteemed the best. The inferior Whiskies are obtained from oats, rye, potatoes, barley, &c. The peculiar smoky flavour is imparted by the wash being purposely left to burn a little. An imitation Whisky is made by adding a few drops of purified fusel-oil and creosote to clean spirit, or gin. Of the true Potheen, Professor Donovan, who was present at a genuine Irish illicit Potheen distillation, says, "that he is doubtful whether the turf used is the cause of the flavour of the spirit, but attributes this to the grains and mode of dis- tillation. The barley is wetted with bog-water, in order to excite germination, the malt dried with turf, instead of coal. The malt then is mixed with about one-fourth of raw corn, and the mashing is made in a kind of vat, the bottom of which is covered with young heath and oat husks—to supply the place of a false one; when the wash begins to boil in the still, the fire is suddenly quenched, and the spirit which runs, though weak, is of true flavour. The singlings are distilled again, and yield the true Potheen/' Gin. —This well-known compound corn-spirit