Cast Iron Double Vat Still @museum.de

M: The still you're looking at here has two pots and is made of cast iron, which is unusual. It was manufactured in 1923. After the First World War, copper was in very short supply and therefore expensive – so people made do with whatever was to hand. In this case, cast iron.

F: The gracious spirits connoisseur is probably frowning by now. A still made of iron? Can that even work?

M: It depends on what you want to distil. This equipment was mainly used to distil grain. However, it would not be suitable for fruit brandies. They require a copper still.

F: Copper is not only an excellent heat conductor, it also chemically binds the sulphurous substances in the mash – which helps the fruit brandy to develop its delicate aroma. And with fruit brandy, that's what matters! These days, modern stills are usually clad in stainless steel. But the pot and rectifying equipment are still made of copper.

M: In this particular still, the two pots are arranged one on top of the other. Steam introduced directly into the bottom pot moves up through the mash into the upper pot and heats it. The steam then moves on through the rectifying section with its two bubble trays and into the condenser. Once the mash in the bottom pot is spent, that pot is emptied and the contents replaced by the mash from the upper pot.