Talk:Pot still

Merge with alembic

Pot still and alembic refers to the exact same object and there is no reason to maintain both articles--DagI 09:52, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

To future readers: see discussion at Talk:Alembic for more. --Alex S 04:39, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

The whisky safe is no longer locked for excise reasons. It was a glass cabinet which had handles from the outside which worked a mechanism to allow an operator to divert the flow of distilled liquid to control and monitor the distillation process. It was locked with a padlock by the customs and excise people to prevent whisky being sold without duty paid.

However, nowadays the customs people simply use the weight of grain bought as a reckoner to how much whisky is sold, so there is no need for the whisky safe, and the distillery themselves hold the keys.

194.6.107.209 09:55, 12 January 2007 (UTC)Jethro

Possible terminology error

In the first paragraph, this article describes mash going into the still in the case of the distillation of Scotch whisky, but I believe mash refers to the unfermented liquid. The wash is the liquid which is distilled. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.168.88.197 (talk) 01:50, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Old Midleton Distillery Pot Still

The article had this claim:

The largest pot still in the world was in the Old Midleton Distillery, County Cork Ireland. It had a capacity of 31,618 gallons (approximately 140,000 litres). It is no longer in use.

While various tourism web sites repeat the "word's largest" claim I'm unable to find a reliable source that the pot still was constructed for the Old Midleton Distillery and that it is the word's largest.

• http://www.potstill.de/midleton1.htm implies it was built between 1823 and mid 1830s but is not a reliable source nor independent of the source for claims about the pot still.
• Google News and Scholar did not have any hits for "Midleton Distillery" in the date range 1800 to 1899. The Google Books results follow - the link is the date of publication.
• 1846 "DISTILLERS / Murphy James, jun. & Co. Midleton Distillery" (this is the only hit for the date range 1800 through 1849)
• 1861 "The town is described by Smith, as consisting of " One long street, ranging from the north to the south bridges." Midleton has made great strides during the last thirty years. The Midleton distillery, the property of the Messrs. Murphy, is one of the largest in the South of Ireland. It employs about 150 persons. The weekly average wages is from £90 to £100."
• 1880 "The Midleton Distillery. The company have handsome and extensive offices on Morrison's Island, in the centre of the city, and close to the water's edge. Here the directors sit day after day, and the scores of clerks attend to the interests of 4000 customers. But I cannot linger here, for I have another distillery to visit. Another, the brightest of all, far out in the beautiful country, at the town of Midleton, situate at the north-east extremity of Cork's magical harbour, Approaching the distillery from the town, it has somewhat the appearance of a fortress. A massive stone gateway bars the entrance, and heavy walls encompass it. But when once admittance is gained the sternness of the approach vanishes. Great buildings loom aloft, but they have all a bright look; trees are on every side, and handsome garden plots, and clinging ivy, relieve the monotony of the high square structures. Here, I believe, is the largest still in the world—certainly the largest in Ireland. No work was in progress at the time of my visit, save the work of repairs and the storage of coal. Here, as at North Mall, water gives considerable aid in driving the machinery, a canal having been raised after considerable engineering difficulties and much expense. The vast works of Midleton Distillery cover over eight acres. It was a hot July day when I paid my visit, not at all the day to attempt remarkable pedestrian feats. Will it be forgiven me, therefore, if I forsook Irish whisky for Irish hospitality. Under the very shadow of the tall manufactory, yet altogether hidden from it, there is a luring lawn, a cool shrubbery, and an elegant villa radiant with flowers. Is it not more pleasant to lounge through conservatories than to climb staircases, to drink iced claret cup than to sip raw spirit, or to examine the points of a horse than to note the intricacies of machinery? Beyond the garden and the tennis court and the conservatory is a grotto, so cunningly placed that none but the initiated can find it; the air there is deliciously cool, a luxuriant growth of honeysuckle and dog rose and fern surrounds you, and at your feet is a spring of as pure water as ever mortal tasted. With pleasant society, and chat and gossip to while away the time, will it be deemed strange that I stayed there until it was impossible to see more of the distillery, and that it would only be possible to catch my last train by a hard and almost break-neck gallop?"
• 1887 This is titled "The whisky distilleries of the United Kingdom" but the full text is not available from Google Books. The portion visible is "wooded grounds, a small portion of which has been appropriated for cottages, wherein the employees of the Distillery dwell.
  The offices of the Company are in Morrison's Island, in the heart of the city. They consist of a handsome pile of buildings, containing general offices for twenty clerks, private ones for the Directors, and a commodious Board-room. Under the offices, and in a range of buildings at the back, the Company have large export Bottling Stores, and out guide informed us that"
• 1891 "Here is a picture from a newspaper which will give an idea of what these unfortunate tenants had to go through, and will convey to the reader a clear conception of the nature of the struggle. 'Thursday being the first day,'writes the Cork Examiner, ' during the season for purchasing malting barley in this district by the Midleton Distillery Company, early on that morning cars laden with barley came from different parts of the county. As far as the chapel, loads of barley were closely arranged on either side of the road, and the poor men, who came a long distance in inclement weather, could be seen asleep on the bags of barley. There were upwards of 1,000 loads of barley, on an average 8,000 barrels ; a barrel is two hundredweight. Of course the Distillery Company could not buy all this grain, as it would take a week to weigh such a number of loads. The excitement which prevailed during the early part of Friday and during the day, caused a party of constabulary to be called out to keep order and protect the lives of those who had to be out on business. After all, the top price was only 10s. per barrel for malting barley; a great quantity was purchased at 7s. per barrel, and lots of it was rejected as being unfit for any use but food for cattle and pigs. On Friday the Distillery Company refused to buy any more barley. There is no other maket convenient, and up to 7,000 barrels of barley will have to be taken back from Midleton.'"
• 1892 "The Midleton Distillery is situate some thirteen miles from Cork, and about a century ago was occupied as a woollen mill. The Government subsequently purchased the structure and converted it into a barracks. In 1825 Lord Midleton, into whose hands the property had come, sold the premises to Messrs. Murphy & Co., who commenced whisky distilling and brought the annual output up to 400,000 gallons in a very short time. The Midleton Distillery is admirably situated and within immediate access of both water conveyance and railway. It is unnecessary to enter into a minute description of the vast works; suffice it to say they are somewhat similarly arranged to the North Mall establishment of the Company and are equipped with every appliance that modern science could suggest, or art v supply, to economise the production of Irish whisky. Fully 200 persons find employment, and the annual output now reaches a total of one million gallons. Here, as at North Mall, the various operations of manufacture are conducted with that care and judgment which proceed only from long practical experience and an intimate knowledge of the most minute business details. The whisky is made solely from pure malt and possesses that pleasant and agreeable flavour which has rendered the Company so universally celebrated. The business connections of the concern extend over the whole of the British Empire, and, in addition, a very large and ever-increasing export trade is effected. From every point of view we feel justified in according to the Cork Distilleries Company, Limited, the same distinct pre-eminence that jurors of award at many of our greatest exhibitions have accorded to the concern, a pre-eminence based primarily upon excellence of manufacture; secondly, upon magnitude of operations; and thirdly, upon the genuine wholesomeness, purity, and maturity of every gallon they supply to patrons at home and abroad."

You'd think if the world's largest pot still was situated here that it would merit mention in at least one of those descriptions. I suspect the "world's largest" claim was invented or decided on much later.

The Midleton Distillery itself seems notable based on the coverage found. I don't have time to sort through the material found to construct an article at Midleton Distillery. --Marc Kupper|talk 01:07, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

Oops - I was rereading the text and spotted "the largest still in the world—certainly the largest in Ireland" in the cyclopædia from 1880. I've restored the text along with a cite.--Marc Kupper|talk 01:37, 15 March 2011 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

• Pot Still Diagram.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:49, 9 January 2020 (UTC)