Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-12-25
AUNTON SPECTATOR AND GENERAL ADVERTISER
How Pure Whiskey is Made.

How Pure Whiskey Is Made.
PASSED AND REPAssED THROUGH STILL -THI
WAY THE FAMOUS MYEkLY wHIsKEY IS MADE
RYE FROM MICHIGAN AND MALT FROM WIS
CoNsIN-No LABOR OR EXPENSE GRUDGED Te
MAKE IT PUEE-DEscRIPTIoN OF IT'S MANU-.
FATUkE, ETC.
Driving along the McAdamiZed road about q
mile southwest from Staunton, there is to be
seen W hat at first glance looks like little SET
Element. with its group of white and red hous-
es. Looking closer are to be seen little railroads
running from the buildings which tell that
some Industry is progressing there. which is
| confirmed by the smoke rising from the chin
ney ofthe central brick building. There is an in
dusty there, for it is in that group of buildings
| that for ten years has been carried on the man.
ufacture of the now famous Myerly whiskey
| The output of this whiskey is confined to seven
hundred barrels year by its maker.
| The process of m aking this whiskey is what
is calle d double distilling-tbat is, in order to
secure the highest purity attainable the liquor
| is distilled twice,
To those who have never seen the various
steps in the manufacture of whiskey the pro-
cess is an interesting one. and we give our
readers history of it as il is seen at this
distillery. First we go to the chopping mill, a
| large frame building, where thirty bushels of
malt and rye are chopped day. In order to
| get the best of grain, Mr.. Myerly buys his ry 9
| in Michigan and his maltin Wisconsin. From
this mill the chopped gra in is carried on lit
tie railroad to the brick stillhouse near by
There it 10 put into eleven large tubs with water
to ferment The visitor eleven tubs which
the grain is just put in, and another eleven in
xyI,1 II,
commenced. The fermentation takes tifty-stx
hours for completion. and at the end of that
time the Mash, which. is the name for the fer
mented grain. is drawn into 1600-gallon well
From that 1t Is drawn through copper pipe
into what is called the "singling STILL" The va
por from the singing still is conducted through
pi pes in a trough outside of the building, being
condensed as 1t goes. A solid 3-inch stream of
pure spring water is kept playing on it ali
during its passage through the spipes The va.
por. now reduced to liquid state. returns by
pipes to the inside of the building where a n.y.
drometer tells its strength. 1t Is now ready to
go through it's second distiling, which will eff
fectually clear away the remaining fusil oil
and all other impurities.
The liquor is now pumped across the furnace
into what is called the doubling" still. There
1t is again convert ed into vapor and makes Its
second visit..throu gh pipes to the condensing
trough outside. When it comes in again ,anoth-
or hydrometer shows that it lis 70 deg. stronger
than when it was at the first hydrometer.
Then 1t passes into the Receiving Stand. which
Is large enough to hold the days output. and
from there it is pumped up into the second
story. From there it passes through seven
leach tubs down into q locked and barred
room adjoining the main building where it
1r5 Apdo f,,f ffaJ
States Government. 1t is finished goods and
no man dare do but one thing with 1t now,and
that is to reduce to proof. That is to say, ifit
Is fifteen degrees above proof, fifteen gallons of
pure spring water may be poured in to reduce
1t to proof. This little room contains 8 tubs of
las gallons capacity each. It is now in the
hands of U. S. Storekeeper NJ. s. Cease.
From this little room it is barreled and taken
on little railroad across to the bonded ware
house some fifty yards off. where it is stored
under the care OF the U S. Storekeeper. It is
building I25x30 feet and there are 700 barrels of
Myerly whiskey stored in 1t varying in age
from three years down to three hours.
There are," said Mr.. Lou F. MyerIy looking
around, 10000 gallons of Myerly whiskey
under this roof" II it is Withdrawn from
bond after two months the government takes
off the tax Oh one gallon barrel for evapora-
ton; If after fifteen months, four gallons
barrel; and II after three years, seven and
half gallons. If the three years passes before it
is Withdrawn, Storeke eper Cease said, the gov
eminent allows no rebate for evaporation.
This dstiilery was started by Mr.. Lou. F.
Myerly ten years ago. lie bought eight acres
of the old Paris farm and put up the buildings.
All the buildings are located in few yards of
each other, but far enough apart for fire not to
communicate. The cooper shop which turns
out 900 barrels a year. under George Gayhart, is
connected with the stilhouse by a little rail-
road down which the barrels run by gravity.
The distiller, Mr.. Vim. Swartzel, has a resi-
dsnce near the stillhouse has the cooper.
This stillhouse has the reputation of being one
of the neatest AMI cleanli in the district.
When the still was first started by Mr.. Myer-
ly it had only half of Its present capacity. but
the increasing demand has forced him to
double it, and it seems now as if the pressure
caused by tn popularity of the Myerly whis-
key would at some day make still further en-
largement necessary. The whiskey made there
is one of the purest in the world and no cost
Is spared to keep up that reputation.
TIE Dunlap Patent Rail fence, which has
been brought to the attention of the club, was
then discussed by MesSrs. Freed, Goodwin
Kemper. and,.Bell. and, upon motion, Mr.
Dun zap Is Invited to visit the CLUB at It's next
meeting, Srd saturday in Jan'y, 100, for the
purpose OF further investigating this question
and negotiating for terms to the club. 1t was
moved and adopted that this club have Its
Annual Oyster Dinner at the January meet-
ing, and Messrs. P. I. Burkhoder and F. NJ.
Bell were appointed committee to arrange for
same. Question for discussion at next meet
ing: "Can we dispense with Inside fence?'
No fiji rther busiuess coming I'D a motion TO
adjourn was adopted. c, B. CoINER,
J. r. KEMPER, President.
Seo'y.