80 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



pure as any person is who wishes to purchase and properly use a pure 

 article. 



After the internal revenue tax has been paid, and the tax-paid 

 stamps properly placed upon the packages, the spirits are withdrawn 

 from bond ; each package having two stamps upon it a warehouse 

 and a tax-paid stamp and when put upon the market in this condition 

 they are known as two-stamp goods ; but the best distillers, instead of 

 selling their goods directly from the bonded warehouse if they have 

 not been filtered and refined during the process of their manufact- 

 ure transfer them to the rectifying-house for rectification ; the object 

 of which is to remove any pernicious substances or impurities, such as 

 the grosser properties of the essential oils, or fusel, and acetic acid, 

 and to improve the quality and flavor of the spirits. It is the essential 

 oils extracted from the various materials used that impart the peculiar 

 distinguishing characteristics to each kind of liquor. The alcoholic 

 property is virtually the same in all spirituous liquors. 



The process of rectification is generally done by redistilling, and 

 filtering through alternate layers of woolen blankets, sand, and granu- 

 lated bone or maple charcoal other complicated mechanical arrange- 

 ments are sometimes used, called rectifiers, but they are not common 

 after which process, a little burned sugar is added to give them a kind 

 of straw-color, simply, I presume, to distinguish them from water, and 

 which gives the appearance of age without improving or injuring their 

 quality. After rectification, the spirits are gauged by the United States 

 gauger, and a rectifier's stamp is placed upon each package, and the 

 whisky is then ready for the market, pure and unadulterated, and, 

 known as one-stamp goods. Remember that I am now stating how 

 good whisky is made ; all whisky is not made with the same degree 

 of care. Some people are under the impression that if they buy two- 

 stamp goods they are certainly getting a pure article, but that is not 

 always the case, unless the whisky has been properly rectified during 

 the process of manufacture. 



There is a vast difference between rectification proper and mixing 

 or compounding. Rectification, in its proper sense, is purifying and 

 refining. Compounding is diabolizing. Moral : Purchase from first 

 hands, if possible. 



By this, I do not mean to insinuate that all dealers in liquor are 

 unscrupulous ; for, paradoxical as it may appear to some minds, there 

 are many very generous, noble-hearted, upright men engaged in the 

 liquor-traffic ; but the demand for cheap liquor is so great that some 

 men can not resist the temptation to mix or compound, in order to 

 supply this demand, and some of them feel that they are compelled to 

 do it against their will in order to hold their customers ; and this 

 practice will continue until the strong arm of a righteous law is placed 

 upon it a law that every honest distiller and liquor-dealer will cor- 

 dially approve. 



