A condenser in some form is an essential component of every apparatus for distilling alcohol: from the most rudimentary two-gallon jungle still to the modern multi-column system capable of producing millions of liters of spirits, all need condensers to convert the hot, ethanol-rich vapors that emerge from the still into the liquids that become whisky, brandy, mezcal, vodka, rum, or other familiar spirits.
There are two broad types of condenser: the internal one, where it is a part of the architecture of the still, and the external one. The most basic internal condenser, whereby the alcohol-rich vapors are condensed within the still itself, is the curved bottom of a pot full of cold water used to seal off the top of the boiling pot. The most basic external one, whereby the vapors are drawn off from the still before they are condensed, is a long, straight pipe that leads from the top of the boiler to a collection vessel. This is generally cooled by air and may be made from materials as diverse as wood, stone, ceramic, glass, or metal.
The same boiler may be outfitted with a longer length of tubing (usually metal) that is bent skillfully into a coil. Such coils—sometimes called worms or various cognates such as serpentines for their twists—provide greater surface area to cool the vapors arising from the still more efficiently. While most professional distillers prefer copper worms, glass and stainless steel examples have their proponents. Immersed in a tub of cool water, a coil condenser becomes far more efficient. A distiller may instead choose to replace the water used to cool the coil with wine, mash, or wash intended to be run through the still on the next immediate run. As hot vapors in the coil convert to liquid, the surrounding liquid heats, thereby reducing the time needed to bring it to temperature for the next distilling run.
The most efficient external condensers are modern “heat exchangers,” which take advantage of the steady availability of cold running water to the modern distiller to create an ultra-efficient version of the coil condenser. The “shell and tube” style, where cold water is circulated under pressure around a series of parallel tubes that vapor passes through, is the most common for spirits use.
See also chauffe-vin; reflux; and still, pot.
Dabney, Joseph Earl. Mountain Spirits: A Chronicle of Corn Whiskey from King James’ Ulster Plantation to America’s Appalachians and the Moonshine Life. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974.
Germain-Robin, H. Traditional Distillation: Art and Passion. N.p.: White Mule, 2015.
Klar, M. The Technology of Wood Distillation. Translated by A. Rule. London: Chapman & Hall, 1925.
By: Matthew Rowley