Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-18
HOW APPLE-JACK Is MADE.
Converting AN Innocent Fruit Into an
Intoxicating Liquor.

Neacton (N.J.) cor. Philadelphia Press.
just now the manufacture of ''apple-
jack' is in full blast all through this part
of New Jersey. Sussex county produces
more apple whisky to the square mile than
any one county in the United States.
Apple-jack is about all that Sussex county
does produce, except Ring Democrats and
trottiAg horses. Apple-jack is a remark
able tipple. A man never wants to get
drunk on it more than once.
Although this is what is called an ''olf'
year, the amount of this fiery beverage
produced in Sussex county will not fall
short of 10000 gallons. 1t is a singular
fact that those years which are divisibIe
by the figure ,, are the best years for
making apple whisky. Last year being Il
good season." the crop of Sussex county
was nearly or quite 81, 900 gallons: in 1850
it was 100000 gallons. The liquor origi-
mated in Montague, Sussex county, where
the first barrel of apple-ac was manu-
factured and made by Squire Saunder
Ennis.
The process of distilling the liquor is
extremely primitive at various conYen-
lent points all through the county; gener-
ally in the neighbOrh0od of the largest or
chardS are erected large sheds containing
the ''mill'' and the ''press," These build
ings are usually located on side hill.
The apples are ground up fine between
two huge wooden wheels which are turn
ed around in big trough by two horses
fastened to long wooden pole. The
pomace, or pulp of the apples, is shoveled
into trough and taken to the press,
where 1t IS placed between layers of clean
straw and put under heavy pressure.
The juice thus extracted runs through
wooden pipe into huge watts, where it is
left undisturbed until it reaches stage
of fermentation which is called ''riaen-
ing" 1t requires great skill and expert
ence to Judge when the cider is ''ripe.v
for any delay in removing the alcohol bv
distillation after it is ''ripe'' would be fa-
tai to the yield OF apple-iaek, and the dis
uller would nave nothing but a lot Of
vinegar after all his labor.
The ''still'' is an immense copper boil
er, perfectly air-tight, surmounted by a
coil OF pipe that passes through a tank of
cold water, A hot fire is constantly kept
under the Kettle; an even temperature is
necessary in order to get a fine LIQUOR,
The cider runs through a siphon into the
kettle, where the heat turns it into a va
por, which, passing through the cool coil
of pipe, again condenses it, and it emerges
pure apple-jack,
The whisky is so strong, however, when
first made that it defes even the ironclad
stomach of a Sussex county granger. 1t
is pure white, but mellow. and with age
taking on after few years pale yellow
hue. of course, dealers and distillers
have all kinds of tricks for palming OFF
new apple-jack for superior old whisky.
Burned peach-pits added to liquor fresh
from the still will give it the appearance
of "twenty-year-old brand" while
brown sugar, skilfully burned, has the
same effect.
The cost OF the whisky to the distiller is
small, and the price at the still is So Il ga.
lon, which includes the tax of so cents a
gallon, The older the liquor is the more
valuable it Is, There are many barrels of
apple-jack stored away in these Jersey
cellars that is worth from $40 to $50 gal
Ion. The apples bring from 10 to 40 cents
hushel, according to the season ard size
of the crops, and each bushel will make a
gallon of the whisky,
The revenue to the United States from
apple whisky is given at about $50, 900 per
annum, and two-thirds of it comes from
Sussex county.