A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as effectively as other distillation methods. Pot stills operate on a batch distillation basis (as contrasted with Coffey or column stills, which operate on a continuous basis). Traditionally constructed from copper, pot stills are made in a range of shapes and sizes depending on the quantity and style of spirit desired.
Spirits distilled in pot stills top out between 60 and 80 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) after multiple distillations.[citation needed] Because of this relatively low level of ABV concentration, spirits produced by a pot still retain more of the flavour from the wash than distillation practices that reach higher ethanol concentrations.
Under European law and various trade agreements, cognac (a protected term for a variety of brandy produced in the region around Cognac, France) and any Irish or Scotch whisky labelled as "pot still whisky" or "malt whisky" must be distilled using a pot still.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Technical file setting out the specifications with which Irish whiskey / Uisce Beatha Eireannach / Irish Whisky must comply" (PDF). www.agriculture.gov.ie. Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine. October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, The National Archives, 2009.
- ^ "L'encyclopédie du Cognac: Different distillation methods". Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac Entreprise. Retrieved 24 January 2017.