BRA 



into a neck at the top, about 2 inches hiph, and only 9 or 

 lo in dinmeter. The capacity of this alembic is about 320 

 quarts. The capital, which fits on the ntck of the alem- 

 bic, is fomewhat in the form of a very flattened cone, with 

 the apex downwards, and truncated where it joins the alem- 

 bic. Its diameter here is of courfe a trifle more than that 

 of the neck of the alembic over which it fits ; above, its di- 

 . ametcr is about 7 or 8 inches more. A tube, or beak, 

 projefts laterally from the lower part of the capital, to con- 

 vey the vapour into the pewter Itrpeniine or worm, which 

 makes fix or feven turns before it reaches the bottom of 

 the large tub of water in which it is immcrfed. The diame- 

 ter of liie worm is about an inch and a lialf at the upper 

 part, where it joins the beak of the capital, and leflens gra- 

 dually to one inch towards the bottom. 



The alembic is built into brick-work, which lines the 

 whole, except the bottom, and a few inches below the 

 neck. Beneath the alembic is the fire-place, made fo that 

 the flame of the fud (generally wood) immediately touches 

 the flat bottom of the alembic, and lumifhtJ with an afli- 

 pit, flue, and regillcrs, or dam.pers. 



In diflilling, the alembic is full filled to about five-fixths 

 of its capacity, with wine, (which, in the above dimen- 

 fions, is from r, to 6quintals,) and ihe fire kindled beneath. 

 When the wine is near boiling, the capital is put on, and 

 eU the joints luted with clay and aflus, and prefently a 

 thin llream of brandy begins to fall from the lower extre- 

 mity of the worm, into a large cafl< fet to receive it. The 

 lire is kfpt up, and the dillillation continued, till all the 

 ipirit is got fronV the wine ; after which, the fire is let out, 

 and the remaining contents of the alembic are drawn off by 

 a cock at the bottom, and thrown away as uftlefs. 



In dilliUing, care fliould be taken not to urge the fire 

 too much at firit, otherwife the wine boils up into the ca- 

 pital, and comes over into the worm, mixing with, and 

 fouling the fpirit. In general, the flower the procefs, and 

 the fmaller the ilream of Ipirit from ths worm-pipe, the 

 finer and better i,s the brandy. The diftillers make a dif- 

 tinftion between the former and the latter runnings of the 

 fpirit. What firft comes over has the (trongeft, richeft, and 

 higheft flavour, and this is gradually lelfeued, and the fpirit 

 becomes more and more watery to the end. Therefore, 

 when the brandy becomes weak, the portion already dif- 

 tillcd is fet apart, and the remainder is colledled in a fe- 

 parate vefTcl, and is called yi'i:o?/r/.r, cr petite can, or feints, in 

 the term of Britifh dilliUers, and is not immediately fit for 

 life, but is rediftilled with frefh wine, in the next procefs, 

 being ilill too valuable to be lofl:. It is obvious, that the 

 precife point at which this diftinflion is made, mnft be 

 arbitrary, and, therefore, it is determined, iu fome coun- 

 tries, by the proportional quantity of fpirit obtained, to the 

 wine put into the alembic ; and, in others, by a certain 

 fpecific gravity ; in Spain and Poitugal, (as with rum in the 

 Well Indies,) the finking of olive oil in the fpirit is theefta- 

 bliflied proof. The wine is known to be entirely exhaufted of 

 its fpirit by taking a fmall quantity of the liquor at that time 

 diftilling over, laying it oti the heated part of the alembic, 

 and putting a lighted matcti to it. If the fteam which it 

 gives, takes fire, burning with a blue flame, it is lliil fpi- 

 rituous ; if not inflammable, the liquor is little elfe than 

 water. It takes about nine or tm hours to run off the 

 quantity above mentioned, in which time about 6olb. of 

 coal is ufed, when this is the fuel. 



Brandy is naturally clear and colourlefs as water ; for the 

 different fliades of colour, which it has in commerce, arife 

 partly from the cafks in which it is kept, but, chiefly, from 

 the addition of burnt fugar, launders wood, and other co- 



VOL. V. 



BRA 



louring matters that arc intentionally added by the mami- 

 fiic'iurer, and whieh aj'pear to do neither good nor harm 10 

 the quality of the fpirit. 



Tiiere are feveral ways of judging of the ftrcngth of the 

 fpirit. Many are mentioned under the article Alcohol. 

 The following is aifo much ufed by the dealers : a pliial i« 

 filled three qmirters with the brandy, (lopped with the 

 thumb, and fuddmly knocked, with fome force, againil 

 the knee, to prevent breaking it. This mifea a froth on 

 the furfacc, and, by the fi/.e and durability of the bubbltf, 

 a good idea may be formed of the llrength of the liquor by 

 thofe who arc in the coullant habit of examining famples. 

 Tliis is, however, as liable to error as the trial with gun- 

 powder, burning, &c. ; for it is well known, that certain 

 additions may be made to brandy which will very much 

 alter the frothing. After all that has been done, it is ilill 

 a difficult problem to determine, with perfcdt accuracy, the 

 n:rength of all kinds of made fjiirits, by any fliortcr method 

 than that of dillillation, though the improved hydrometers 

 anfwer mod of the purpofes of tr.ide and levenue. 



'I'he ftrength of the fpirit, of courfc, depcjids on the 

 ftrength of the wine from which it is made, and this, again, 

 depends on the quantity of facchaiine mucilage contained 

 in the muff or grape-juice, aiul the perfeiiiion of the fer- 

 mentation, (ienerally fpeaklng, the wines of hot climates 

 furniflr much more fpirit than thofe of colder ; and fweet, 

 rich, well-ripened grapes give much more than the cold, 

 four, watery fruits. The richeft wines furnifli as much as 

 a thi;d of fpirit ; and the general average of the wine.i in the 

 fouth of France and Spain is ftated to be, by Chaptal, about 

 a fourth. On the other harid, fome of the northern wines 

 (though perfecl; as wine) give no more th-an a fifteenth of 

 fpirit. 



The principal differences in the quality of brandies are 

 Jlrciigth, or quantity of alcohol, ixwA favciir, which laft is 

 given, apparently, by feveral piinciples contained in the 

 wine. There appears to exill in wine a peculiar aroma, or 

 flavouring principle, which is imparted (fomewhat altered, 

 indeed, by dillillation) to the brandy procured from it. 

 This, whatever it is, is leffened by every fubfequent recti- 

 fication of the brandy, and is entirely loft when the alcohol 

 or purely fpirituous part is extrafted. Tliere are alfo fe- 

 veral unpleafant flavours found in different kinds of brandy, 

 and which greatly impair its excellence and delicacy for the 

 table. The flavour of empyreuma, or burning, is the common- 

 elt. This is properly fo termed, fince it is fcarcely ever 

 found in the very firft portions of any diftillation, but in- 

 creafes as the proceis conlinues ; when the wine, therefore, 

 has undergone a longer impreflion of heat, and when, from 

 the decrcafing ftrength of the fpirit, a higher temperature 

 than at firft is required to keep the wine boiling in the 

 alembic. This burnt flavour is alfo more prevalent where 

 the conftruclion of the Ilill is fuch as to require a longer 

 continuance of the boihng, and may, at any time, be given, 

 by raifingthe heat much at tlie end of the procefs. Though 

 this flavour is difagreeable to the fined judges of brandies 

 in the wine countiies, it has become, through the caprice 

 of faihion, an excellence in fome exported brandies, and 

 muft, accordingly, be given by the manutuflurer. 



Chaptal, with great probability, attributes this burnt 

 tafte, in a great meafure, to the prefence of the malic acid in 

 the wine, which alfo appears, in fome degree, in the fpirit 

 diftilled from it. He obfervcs, that the thin or ill-fermented 

 wines contain much of an acid which, by its forming info- 

 luble falts with lead, filver, and mercury, and lime, and by 

 other chemical tefts, is proved to be the malic, and it alfo 

 appears in great abundance in cyder, perry, and other fuch 

 F i harfh 



