What You Need to Know
A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been used to produce perfume and medicine, water for injection (WFI) for pharmaceutical use, generally to separate and purify different chemicals, and to produce distilled beverages containing ethanol.
Steps
- 1.
Scotch Whisky (Scotland): Distillation of malted barley to produce a high-proof spirit
- 2.
Tequila (Mexico): Distillation of fermented agave juice to create a distinctive alcoholic beverage
- 3.
Absinthe (Switzerland): Distillation of botanicals including wormwood to produce a highly aromatic spirit
The Science
Primary Reaction
Separation of ethanol from water through fractional distillation