There are so many books about fermentation in the world, but why are there so few about distillation? I guess it's because people think that fermentation is magic, but distillation is just a technique. I want to say that there is magic in distillation too. But I can't say it yet.
Most of the books about distillation published in Japan are about shochu or whiskey, and are written from the perspective of the drinker. I even suspect that they just want to go to a distillery on Islay. There is also a genre of autobiographies and biographies of founders, which are of course interesting, but the time to read them and dream about them is long past.
Christophe said that most books on distillation are fantasies written by people who have never distilled anything, but even so, there are still things we don't understand every day, and with an increasing number of videos on YouTube of people making distilled spirits in their kitchens in rural America, we have no choice but to rely on books.
This time I'd like to introduce some books about distillation. I actually quite like writing about books.
[The birth of famous sake: Shirozake and Shochu / Takeo Koizumi (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho)]
One book that goes into detail about manufacturing methods and is not to be missed is by Dr. Takeo Koizumi, Japan's proud doctor of fermentation. He has visited and tasted distilled spirits from all over the world, including Japanese distilled spirits such as shochu and awamori, Chinese baijiu, and spirits from remote corners of the world. He is as knowledgeable as you would expect about the surrounding area, including the various raw materials and how to use the mash after distillation.
I wonder how many books I have read that describe Chinese solid-state fermentation, which involves digging a hole in the soil, adding the ingredients and a solid substance called "dajyo" that is a combination of yeast and koji, covering it with soil, and letting it ferment while still in solid form.
[Larousse Liquor Encyclopedia / Jacques & Bernard Saleh, translation supervised by Shirakawa Kaneyoshi (Shibata Shoten)]
I bought the "Larousse Liquor Encyclopedia" from the B&F counter on Mercari, after being told about it by Mr. Matsuzawa, a former employee of B&F. It is a 260-page encyclopedia of alcohol, detailing the origins and manufacturing methods of each type of alcohol. Even though it is an encyclopedia, the tastes of the French couple who wrote it are so clear that it is the best, with an extremely large volume devoted to distilled spirits derived from fruit, and their passion for it clearly showing.
For example, the description of "Fruit Brandy (Eaux-de-vie de fruits)" begins with, "If alcohol were to be likened to an aristocrat, fruit brandy would be like a refined and proud lady. It is the essence of fruit, and its aroma, flavor, and even more are carefully contained in the alcohol," and continues with a three-page explanation.
On the other hand, the description of "malt whiskey" is very blunt: "It is made by converting dried malt into sugar, fermenting it, and then distilling it twice in a pot still."
Although this book was published over 30 years ago, it is still very useful as there are no other books like it.
[Hennessy: A Toast to the World's Preeminent Spirit / Glenn O'Brien (Rizzoli)]
This beautiful book traces the 250-year (!) history of Hennessy, a cognac manufacturer founded in France in 1765. The author is Glenn O'Brien of "HOW TO BE A MAN" and the illustrator is Jean-Philippe Delorme, the best combination. The book keeps the down-to-earth details of the manufacturing process to a minimum and instead covers the splendor of the Cognac region, the stylish advertisements from the past, the history of the brand being loved by important people and celebrities, and the journey of the magnificent Hennessy family, all with stylish illustrations and photographs. It is the miraculous trajectory of the company that created the dream world of Hennessy and developed the brand to suit the times. This extremely elegant book is said to have contributed to improving the brand's power.
[Distilling Fruit Brandy / Josef Pischl (Shiffer)]
[The artisan's guide to Crafting Distilled Spirits / Bettina Malle & Helge Schmickl (Spiekhorn)]
As far as I know, there are two books that are useful for practical distillation. Both are originally German and translated into English.
I usually just skim through what I need to know, but I end up only reading the parts that are convenient for me, so I'd like to translate it properly when I have time. I still have some space, so I'll focus on a few key points and translate them.
"What happens during distillation?" (Distilling Fruit Brandy, p. 91-)
▼Liquid ingredients
The following substances have been confirmed to exist in the mash before distillation: water, ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, acetate, fusel oil, acetaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide (mainly from stone fruits), aroma compounds (about 70 kinds), esters, etc. These liquid components can be separated by distillation. If a continuous still is used, the separation can be done in one distillation.
▼Ingredients that are not liquefied
Fiber, salt, acid, etc. The solid and dissolved fruit components remain in the still pot as a residue.
▼The basics of distillation
Water and alcohol are the basic components of fermented mash, and they have different boiling points: water at 100°C, and alcohol at 78.3°C. When the mash is heated, it slowly turns into steam. But since alcohol has a lower boiling point, it turns into steam first. This is true up to 78.3°C, and as the temperature rises above that and approaches the boiling point of water, the amount of water vapor increases. At this point, further distillation is pointless, especially in a second distillation.
It's important to note that as the water and alcohol turn into vapor, other compounds are also released into the vapor: at lower temperatures, acetate and acetaldehyde will vaporize, while substances with higher boiling points than drinking alcohol, such as fusel oils, won't vaporize until the temperature is higher.
By distilling multiple times, it is possible to separate these compounds. By removing the unwanted substances, a quality distillate is obtained. Proper temperature control is an effective way to remove the unwanted substances.
Should water be added during distillation?
You may need to add water to thin the mash, especially if you have a single-wall still without a stirrer, to prevent it from burning. If you have a double-wall still with a stirrer and the oil or water is on the outside, you don't need to add as much water; adding too much water will make it harder to control the steam.
▼ First distillation (in the case of a single-column still)
The agitator helps heat the mash quickly. Keep the agitator running until distillation is well underway.
Once it reaches 70°C, reduce the heat. The temperature will then rise more slowly, giving the alcohol and aromatic substances time to be extracted.
After the first distillation, depending on the ingredients, the distillate will be reduced to about 1/3 to 1/4 of its original volume, with an alcohol content of 40 to 60%.
It can be as high as 20-30%, depending on the alcohol content of the original mash, its quality, the amount of water added, etc.
▼ Second distillation (final distillation)
The purpose of the second distillation is to increase the alcohol content and extract clean, aromatic compounds. This is achieved by fractional distillation of the heads, hearts and tails.
▼Distillation process
Heat as slowly as possible, so that you can separate out the different components. As a rule of thumb, the first distillate comes out after about an hour. Heating slowly allows the unwanted substances (acetaldehyde, acetate, methanol, etc.) to evaporate first. Rushing is the worst thing you can do, even with a good mash you won't get a good brandy. Separating the heads, hearts and tails allows you to get a more refined distillate.
▼Head
By heating slowly, the more volatile compounds will distill first, whereas if heated too quickly, the head will contain potable ethanol and aromatic compounds, especially apples, which are actually part of the heart.
▼ Head tasting
The head contains volatile compounds. It has a strong, pungent smell, similar to glue. It has a sharp taste. Beginners will be guided in tasting by an experienced person.
▼ Use of head
The heads should be kept separate from the other distillates and should not be added to the next distillation, as this will simply add unwanted compounds that are difficult to separate. The heads can be mixed into herbal lotions, wound treatments, etc.
Next up is finally hearts, but due to space constraints I will do that another day.
Why is it that there are so many books on fermentation, but so few on distillation? My guess is that people think that fermentation has magic, but distillation is just a technique, and I want to tell them that distillation has magic too. But I can't say it yet.
Most of the books about distilling published in Japan are about shochu or whiskey, and they are written from the side of drinking. I even have a suspicion that they just want to visit a distillery on the island of Islay. There are also autobiographies and biographies of the founders as a genre, which are of course interesting, but the time for reading and dreaming about them has long passed.
Christophe said that most books on distilling are fantasies written by people who have never distilled before, but even so, there are things I don't understand every day, and with the increasing number of videos on Youtube of people making spirits in their kitchens in rural America, I have to rely on books.
In this article, I'd like to introduce a few books about distilling. I actually like writing about books quite a bit.
The Birth of Fine Sake: Baijiu and Shochu / Takeo Koizumi (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho) The book by Takeo Koizumi, Japan's proud master of fermentation, is the one that I can't miss when it comes to writing about manufacturing methods. The book also covers distillation, including Japanese distilled liquors such as shochu and awamori, Chinese baijiu, and distilled liquors in remote areas of the world. His knowledge of the various raw materials and how to use the mash after distillation is also impressive.
I wonder how many books he has written about Chinese solid-state fermentation, in which a hole is dug in the earth, the ingredients and a solid substance called "daikyoku," which looks like a combination of yeast and koji, are added, and then covered with earth and allowed to ferment in a solid state.
The Larousse Liquor Encyclopedia / Jacques and Bernard Salé, supervised and translated by Kenetsu Shirakawa (Shibata Shoten)] I bought the "Larousse Liquor Dictionary" from the counter of B&F with the help of Mr. Matsuzawa, an ex-B&F employee. It's a 260-page encyclopedia of alcoholic beverages that describes the origins and production methods for each type of alcoholic beverage. thing about it is that, even though it's a dictionary, the authors, a French couple, have very clear tastes, and the volume devoted to fruit-derived spirits is extremely large, and their feelings are clearly on board.
For example, the description of "fruit brandy (eaux-de-vie de fruits)" says, "If liquor were a nobleman, fruit brandy would be a refined and proud lady. ～If liquor were a nobleman, fruit brandy would be a refined and proud lady, the essence of the fruit, its fragrance, flavor, and more, carefully preserved in the liquor. The explanation continues for three pages.
Malt whiskey, on the other hand, is distilled twice in a pot still from dried malt that has been saccharified and fermented. And that's it.
Although the book was published more than 30 years ago, it is still very useful, partly because there are no similar books.
Hennessy: A Toast to the World's Preeminent Spirit / Glenn O'Brien (Rizzoli)] A beautiful book tracing the 250-year (!) history of Hennessy, a cognac manufacturer founded in France in 1765. The book is written by Glenn O'Brien, who wrote "How to Be a Man". The illustrations are by Jean-Philippe Delorme, a powerful combination. With a minimum of bogus nonsense about manufacturing methods, the book describes the splendor of the Cognac region, the stylish advertisements of past generations, the history of Hennessy loved by dignitaries and celebrities, and the history of the splendid Hennessy family with stylish illustrations and photographs. It is a miraculous story of how Hennessy created a dream world and developed the brand according to the times. This elegant book is also contributing to the improvement of the brand power.
Distilling Fruit Brandy / Josef Pischl (Shiffer) The artisan's guide to Crafting Distilled Spirits / Bettina Malle & Helge Schmickl (Spiekhorn) As far as I know, there are probably two books that are useful for practical distilling. Both of them are originally written in German and translated into English.
I usually skim through the parts I need, but I tend to read only the parts that are convenient and think I understand them, so I'd like to translate them thoroughly when I find time. Since I still have space, I'll try to focus on a few points and translate them.
What happens during distillation" (Distilling Fruit Brandy p.91-)
Liquidized ingredients The following substances have been found to be present in the mash before distillation: water, ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, acetate, fusel oil, acetaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide (mainly from fruit kernels), aroma compounds (about 70), esters, etc. These components in liquid form can be separated by distillation. If you are using a continuous distiller, the separation can be done in a single distillation.
Components that have not been liquefied Fibers, salts, acids, etc. Solid or dissolved fruit components will remain in the pot of the distiller as residue.
Basics of distillation Water and alcohol are the basic elements of fermented mash, and the two have different boiling points. Water is 100℃ and alcohol is 78.3℃. When the mash is heated, it gradually turns into vapor. However, alcohol has a lower boiling point, so it turns into vapor before water does. 78.3 degrees Celsius, and as the temperature rises above that and approaches the boiling point of water, the vapor increases. When this happens, there is no point in further distillation. Especially in the second distillation.
It is important to note that as the water and alcohol become vapor, other inclusions are also included in the vapor. At lower temperatures, acetate and acetaldehyde vaporize, while substances with a higher boiling point than drinking alcohol, such as fusel oil, do not vaporize until higher temperatures are reached.
Multiple rounds of distillation make it possible to separate these inclusions. By removing the undesired substances, a good quality distillate can be obtained. Correct temperature control is an effective way to remove undesirable substances.
Should water be added during distillation? Sometimes it is necessary to add water to dilute the mashed mash. Water should be added to prevent scorching, especially in a single-walled distiller without a stirrer. If you have a double-walled distiller with an agitator and the oil and water on the outside, you don't need to add that much water. If you add too much water, it will be difficult to control the vapor.
First distillation (in a single-wall distiller) The use of a stirrer helps in rapid heating of the mash. Keep the stirrer running until the distillation is well underway.
When the temperature reaches 70°C, reduce the heat. The temperature rise will then be slow. That will be the time for the alcohol and aromatic substances to be extracted.
In the first distillation, depending on the raw material, the distilled product will be 1/3 to 1/4 of the volume, or 40-60% alcohol by volume.
In the first distillation, depending on the raw material, the distilled product will be 1/3 to 1/4 of the volume, with an alcohol content of 40-60%, but it can be 20-30%, depending on the alcohol content of the original mash, its quality, and the amount of water added.
Second distillation (finishing distillation) The purpose of the second distillation is to increase the alcohol content and to extract clean, high quality aromatic components. This is accomplished by fractional distillation of the head, heart, and tail.
The distillation process Heating is done as slowly as possible. The heating is done as slowly as possible, so that various elements can be extracted. As a rule of thumb, the first distillate comes out after about an hour. Gradual heating allows the undesired substances (acetaldehyde, acetate, methanol, etc.) to vaporize first. Rushing is the worst thing you can do. Even if the mash is good, it will not produce quality brandy. By separating the head, heart, and tail, a more refined distillate can be extracted.
Head By heating slowly, the volatile components are distilled first. If heated too quickly, the head will contain drinkable ethanol and aromatic components. This is especially true of apples. These essentially belong in the heart.
Tasting the head The head contains volatile components. The aroma is pungent and has a glue smell. The taste is spiky. Beginners should be instructed by an experienced taster.
Using the head The head should be kept separate from the rest of the distillate and should not be added to the next distillation. It will simply add unwanted ingredients. It is difficult to separate it. The head can be mixed with herbal lotions and used as a wound dressing.
The next step is the heart, but due to space constraints, we will come back to it later.
