Polynesian., 1857-02-14
WHISKY.

| An article is going the rounds of the press,
copied from the Cincinnati Gazette, containing
certain statistics respecting the manufacture Of
whisky in the vicinity Of Cincinnati, which will
surprise many readers Cincinnati, it is claimed,
| is the greatest whisky market in the world and
the valley Of the Ohio the greatest whisky produ-
cling region on the face Of the Garth. The writer
OF the article says that in no branch Of business
have inventive genius and modern improvements
been 50 largely drawn upon as in the distillation
Of liquors. Steam is made to perform almost all
the labor necessary for the production of whisky.
Selecting one distiilery among many for descrip-
tion, the writer says
" A railroad connects the distillery with the
Miami canal, whence the supplies of corn are OBJ
tanned. The latter is transferred from canal boats
into large boxes set upon cars, and thus conveyed
to huge bin where stocks are kept. This bin is
also connected by railroad with the distllery, and
the corn. upon being conveyed from tie former to
the latter, is thrown into the hopper Of n large
shelter, which separates the grain from the cobs
with great rapiditv. The corn being shelled IL
carried by elevators to the second story of the
building, ard empted into the hoppers of mills.
by which it is ground and the meal deposited in tho
first story. The eobs are taken by machinery from
the shelter and thrown in the vicinity of the boil
ers, where they used for fuel.
"Thc meal us it is ground is carried Ly eleva-
tors into the upper Iart Of the building and thence
and deposited in large tanks on the first floor.
Here the distillers make what they call mash.
The cooking is performed entirely by steam
From these tlnks the mash is drawn nG into other
tanks of equal Dimensions situated either side,
where it goes through the cooling process, and re-
ceives the yeast. In the latter tanks the mash
remains two three days. until ii becomes thor
Oughly worked by the yeast. Here is frequently
spoils IN consequence of bad Yeast or unfavOrable
weather; but when no accident of this kind hap
pens, it is drawn off and run into the still. The
latter is thirty feet high. and fsc six feet in
diameter. The mash is boiled in the lower part of
this still, and the steam escapes through pipe
connecting the upper end OF the still with the
worm. The latter is set IN q large cistern filed
with cold water, and here the steam is condensed,
and from this worm the whisky is drawn in the
lower story, and thence it is into eistern In
the - whisky-housc,' where it is barreled and
made ready for market
/ What remains in the still after extracting the
whisky is CALLED " still-sop.'' This is drawn Of
into tank which stands out Of doors, and it is
upon this that dstilery hogs are fed.
The average time required to convert the corn
into whisky is four days. In the one distillery
mentioned about one thousand bushels Of corn are
daily converted into whisky producing about four
thousand gallons of whisky, giving for that single
establishment annual destruction of three hundred
and twelve thousand bushels of corn and an annual
production of one million two hundred and forty
eight thousand gallons of whisky. There are other
distiileres in the neighborhoOd, the capacities of
which are severally two or three fines greater.
The quantity of whisky sold during the year in
the Cincinnati markets alone is estimated at ni"s
millions of gallons. This is probably not more
than one half the production of Ohio and Indiana
alone. Presuming that the production is eighteen
million gallons, the consumption Of corn must be
four and half million bushels, to produce which
requires a million and quarter acres Of good land.
1t is probable the production of whisky in the
Ohio Valley is fifty millions of gallons per annum,
involving consumption of twelve and half mil
lion bushels corn, the average value of which is
So, 100000.