0« llie Distillation of Spirits, &c. itfHollan'd, ■ \Q^ 



of the truth of this remark, we have only to examine^the 

 malt from time to time during the operation, and we shall 

 find that this matter develops- itself more and more as the 

 grain grows longer ; yet this vegetatic>n should be stopped 

 as soon as this matter is disengaged from the length of the 

 grain, otherwise the satcharine part will be lost; and if it 

 be stopped too soon, when this matter has only disengaged 

 itself from half the length of the grain, as is done by several 

 brewers in Holland, all the saecharine matter contained in 

 the grain not being disengaged, it cannot be so easily dis- 

 solved in the water. I am convinced by several experinjonts, 

 which I have made myself on several sorts of malt, and m 

 different degrees of {>erfection, that about a fourth part 

 more spirits is obtained from malt, which is perfectly well 

 made, than from that in which the vegetation has been 

 checked too soon, or carried to excess. The manner of 

 drying it is also an article of equal importance ; and in ge- 

 neral, malt dried too quick, and by an unequal heat, yields 

 not as much spirit, nor a spirit of as pleasant a taste, as 

 malt dried in an equal and slow manner. If it be consi- 

 dered that the saccharine matter of the grain produces alone 

 and exclusively the spirit, it w ill be easily conceived that 

 Hialt of barley must yield more spirit, and of a more plea- 

 sant taste, in proportion as the saccharine matter is more 

 developed in the malt, and rendered more proper to be ex- 

 tracted and dissolved by water than in unmalted or raw 

 grain, where this matter is united and combined with the 

 other particles of the grain ; and if some distillers in this 

 country are of opinion that raw barley, mixed with a certain 

 quantity of malt produces somewhat more spirit, they must 

 necessarily have made their experiments with malt which 

 kad not attained the last degree of perfection, and they 

 wust not understand as well the art of making malt a^ the 

 brewers in this country, who have carried it to the highest 

 tlejiree of perfection. 1 rather incline to think that the di- 

 stillers in this country prefer raw grain for the same reason 

 it is preferred in Holland, namely, because it neither costs 

 m much trouble nor expense, and that the result depends 

 not on as many little circumstances and precautions. 



In Holland but very seldom use is made of barLy, not- 

 withstanding the purity of llie spirit which it yield*, as it 

 has been found out that barley yields but little spirit com* 

 pared with other grain ; for this reason other species of 

 grain have been substituted in its place, which yield a more 

 ujusjderable profit, while at the same time the spirit they 



