270 On the Fermeniation and 
The pist1LLation of the spirit is equally,if not 
more, important than any of the previous processes : 
for, however good the malt may be, or whatever 
care may have been taken in the mashing and fer- 
menting, if the distillation be not well conducted, 
the quantity of spirit will be small and its quality 
bad. 
To obtain spirit from fermented liquor is the bu- 
siness of the distiller, but to refine and purify it be- 
longs to the rectifier. The second operation is so 
dependent on the first, that unless the distillation 
be carefully conducted, the rectification will be 
rendered both tedious and difficult. 
The art of distilling malt spirit may be reduced 
to the following principles. 1. To obtain the spirit 
free from the oil of malt. 2. To raise the vapours 
in the most ceconomical manner. 3. To condense 
them as speedily as possible. And 4. to prevent 
empyreuma. 
The first may be done by mixing a small quanti- 
ty of sulphuric acid with the wash ; and the remain- 
ing three by a proper construction of the still and 
the necessary care in distillation. 
The still should be so constructed as to be capa- 
ble of containing a column of fermentable matter 
considerably broader than high, to prevent the li- 
quor at the bottom from being burnt before the up- 
per part is heated. The top should be as wide as 
the bottom to give the vapours free and complete 
