The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-02-12

. fusel oil-of which so much is heard il
all Temperance speeches-and the Ii
quors only differ from each other al
: these compound ethers are different
when derived from different sources
For instance, the fusel oil OF whisky
consists chiefly of amylic alcohol; the
fusel oil of rum consists chiefly ol
butyrate OF amyl, while the fusel oil OF
brandy consists OF the enanthate oi
ethyl. New liquors Just distilled con.
tain more fusel oil than old liquors
> kept in casks for long time, and foI
this reason physicians never prescribe
whisky or brandy less than one year
old. the aging Of liquor being really an
oxidation Of the fusel oil contained in
it, such oxidation forming new COM
pound ethers and greatly improving
the quality of the liquor.
SO much for the old fashioned gen.
uine liquors; they were expensive to
make and expensive TO keep; they lost
the evaporation and, OF course, lost
their makers the interest Of their mon
ey. The modern liquor dealers, ac-
cording 10 these most trustworthy au-
thorities, have changed all this and
have discovered much cheaper and
simpler way OF carrying on the busi-
ness. What is charged against them
is thus stated:
The cheapest material for making al
cohol is Indian corn, and il Is said the
alcohol in nearly all the liquor now
sold in New York is made Of this, and
is, in fact, nothing more than corn al
cohol, favored to initiate brandy, whis-
ky, rum or gin. This alcohol is manu-
| factured on an immense scale, so that
the largest yield is got at the lowest
| cost
BY using three-story stills and i'm
proved apparatus on large. scale
yield is obtained, and product is OBJ
tained much stronger in alcohol than
was the case in the old-fashioned pro-
cesses. This is what is known as high
wine; il contains from 60 per cent, TO
20 per cent. of alcohol, a considerable
amount OF corn iusel-oil, which is chief
ly amylc alcohol, and il is the basis OF
all or nearly all the liquors now sold.
For common whisky, the poorest
sold, this highwine is taken and dilut-
ed until il contains about 45 per cent.
OF alcohol, and il is then colored with
burned sugar and is ready for sale.
This, the worst liquor sold, represents
the extrsme, but the worst thing In ID
is the alcohol, and it will be seen that
there is no adulteration about il nor
any necessity for any.
For better class Of whisky the high
wine is filtered over wood charcoal,
which takes out a portion OF the fussl
oil; il is then fayored with carefully
selected compound ethers, similar To
those contained in the best whiskies,
but made artificially, diluting to about
45 per cent. Of alcohol and coloring
with burned sugar. The longer either
Of these whiskies is kept in bar
rels the better it becomes. Thus, the
worst whisky is the highwine us a as
soon "a made, and the best irt fetal
whisky is the filtered highwine kept in
barrels for n number OF years; but
there is the same amount OF alcohol
the intoxicating clement-in both.
Some whisky is still manufactured in
the old way from rye and wheat, and
carefully distilled from an old-fashion-
ed fire still; bnt 1t costs much more,
and as il cannot be distinguished by
taste or analysis from a good artificial
whisky, made as above described, the
quantity manufactured is small.
Rum is made by filtering the high !
vine and reducing TO the proper
strength by water. favoring it with |
butyric ether, pineapple ether, etc,
adding burned sugar aud little mo-
lasses.
To make gin, the filtered highwine is
diluted to the proper strength, favored /
with the oil Of juniper and sweetened /
with white sugar or rock candy.
For brandy purer alcohol is requir- |
ell. unless the liquor is to be of a very 1
inferior quality; the highwine is there /
fore filtered over charcoal so as 10 re- /
move the fusel-oil, redistilled in COM
mon still TO insure purity, and the pure 4
alcohol and water thus obtained is call /
ed French or Cologne spirits. The fol-
lowing recipe shows how il is turned /
into brandy: To 40 gallons Of Cologne
spirit, double distilled and free from /
odor and reduced to proof with dlstill-
ed water, add lilo ounce OF our best
Cognac oil, distilled from grapes, and |
Il pints Of burned sugar coloring and
! Dunes of tannin.
This makes one barrel OF "best
French brandy" lacking not even the
peculiar flavor which is supposed TO be
derived from age in the barrel, but
which is really supplied by the tannin.
1t will be noticed that in none OF
these liquors is there any adulteration;
they all pure enough OF their kind. and
the most careful analysis would fail to
reveal any deletarious substances other
than those which are an essential part
Of the article. A eminent physician who
vas consulted yesterday on the subject
said: "If this measure you speak OF
becomes a law, you had better have IL
supplemented with one forbidding the
use Of alcohol ia liquors, that's the on
ly way the medical authorities can pre-
vent drunkenness What makes men
drunk is the alcohol in the liquors, and
the better the quality OF the alcohol
the worse the drunk.
Some years ago the Board OF Excise
ordered an investigation into the ques-
tion Of adulteration in liquors; inspec-
tors were sent out to get samples from
the lowest groggeries in the city, and
Of 40 Of such samples, collected in Null
berry aud Baxter streets and the neigh
borhood, and submitted TO an analy-
tical chemist, not one was found to be
adulterated. They were only too pure.
For these reasons the physician above
referred 10 expressed the opinion that
'it would be as difficult 10 establish n
standard OF purity in liquors as il
would be 10 establish n standard OF
beauty among women or a standard OF
morality among men,"
IL is fact, we'll known 10 all chemists,
that the syrups sold with soda water
are made from sugar and water flavor
ed with the same artificial compound
sthers that are used in turning alcohol
into rum or gin, and they are much
more injurious in the form OF syrups,
because they are consumed in larger
quantities.
From these facts il is claimed that
Mr.. Story's proposed bill does not by
any means solve the liquor question,
and though the liquor dealers may sup
port II with the idea Of throwing a tub /
to the temperance whale, il will only
serve to complicate subject already
involved in apparently inextricable con-
fusion. IL is not adulterated liquor
that is 10 blame for drunkenness and |
crime. Ii is pure iquor; and to war
II. .-l.