Editing Pot still (section)

== History ==

The modern pot still is a descendant of the [[alembic]], an earlier [[distillation]] device.

[[File:Jameson Still Cork.jpg|275px|thumb|Historical whiskey pot still at the Jameson's [[Old Midleton Distillery]] in [[County Cork|Cork]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]]]
The largest pot still ever used was in the [[Old Midleton Distillery]], [[County Cork]], Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cooley|first=Arnold James|title=Cooley's cyclopædia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades|year=1880|publisher=J. & A. Churchill|url=https://archive.org/details/acyclopdiapract01coolgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/acyclopdiapract01coolgoog/page/n880 1767]|quote=Here, I believe, is the largest still in the world—certainly the largest in Ireland.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Dublin, Cork, and south of Ireland: a literary, commercial, and social review|year=1892|publisher=Stratten & Stratten|page=[https://archive.org/details/dublincorkandso00unkngoog/page/n161 157]|url=https://archive.org/details/dublincorkandso00unkngoog}}</ref> Constructed in 1825, it had a capacity of {{convert|31618|impgal|litres|order=flip}} and is no longer in use. As of 2014 the largest pot stills in use are in the neighbouring [[New Midleton Distillery]], County Cork, Ireland, and have a capacity of {{convert|75000|L|impgal|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2014 |title=€200m expansion project helps Midleton to brew up a storm |url=http://www.engineersjournal.ie/2014/10/28/midleton-distillery-whiskey/ |url-status=dead |journal=Engineers Journal (Engineers Ireland) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119014747/http://www.engineersjournal.ie/2014/10/28/midleton-distillery-whiskey/ |archive-date=Nov 19, 2018}}</ref>

Components of a traditional pot still:<ref name=":3" />
* Pot – where the wash is heated 
* Swan Neck – where the vapours rise and reflux 
* Lyne Arm – transfers the vapour to the condenser
* Condenser or worm – cools the vapour to yield distillate

<gallery>
File:Cognac pot still - 20091205.jpg|A [[Cognac (drink)|cognac]] pot still
Image:Whisky safe DSC05276.JPG|A [[spirit safe]] (i.e. padlocked apparatus at the end of the pot still enabling the distiller to cut off the "heads" and "tails" of distillation; it is padlocked for [[excise]] accounting reasons)
</gallery>