316 On the Distillation of' Sirits, c^i. in Holland. 



during the fermentation and distillation ; so that, following 

 this method, you are in danger of causino- a laroe quantity 

 of essential oil to go over with the spirit. This metliod has 

 also the ineonvenience attending it, that you are obliged to 

 leave the caldron open till the liquid begins to boil, and that 

 in the mean time a man must contuiually stir this mass 

 with a stick to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the 

 caldron, and being burnt, until the liquor begins to boil up: 

 at this time the greatest danger is over, and the lid is put 

 on. Thus nothing is gained m point of trouble, because, 

 in following the other method, vou proceed immediatelv 

 to the distillation. Among the advantages which the dilu- 

 tion of the mash, together with the slow feniicntation and 

 distillation, communicates to the spirit distilled in Holland, 

 both in point of flavour and salubrity, must also be counted, 

 that the best distillers know how to extract from this mash 

 all the ferment, by w hieh means the spirit is rendered more 

 pure: because the ferment, of whatever nature it may be, 

 contains most of the essential oil of the matter whence it 

 is taken, and that bv this method the greatest pan of this 

 oil is taken from the. liquor before the distillation, while at 

 the same time thev derive from it this profit, that thcv never 

 have occasion to buy their ferment from the brewers, but 

 on the contrary sell, themselves, a considerable quantity of 

 it, after having dried the same in the shape of loaves, in 

 which state they preserve it for years, if it be kept in dry 

 places ; and in this state it is much sought after by bakers 

 as well as by private families, because this dry ferment, 

 which is diluted w ith a little water, never communicates to 

 the bread or pastry the bitter taste which barm does, loaded 

 as it is with the bitter particles of the hops. The distillers, 

 who are acquainted with this method, enjoy the additional 

 advantage, that they can continue to distil during the sum- 

 mer, and at such times when barm or yeast is extremelv 

 scarce. The profit which they obtain from this ferment is 

 one of the reasons of the low price of the Dutch geneva, 

 compared with the price of spirits distilled in other coun- 

 tries ; but as thev who are perfecllv initiated in this art keep 

 it a secret, I shall not explain at present the manner in which 

 they proceed, from the moti\'es which I have assigned at 

 the beginning. 



And ns the Dutch distillers are under no sort of constraint 

 in then' operations, nor have the least reason to hurrv them, 

 they take the greatest care to clean after each opera- 

 tion their caldron, and above all their tubs, in which the 

 vinous fermentation is etfeetedj and they never fill them 



aaain. 



