The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1905-10-20
Haunt of the POteen
Peasants of the West Of Ireland Brew
Their Own Whisky in Illicit Stills
Especial Correspondence.)

The wild west of Ireland is the nat
ural home of "poteen," or illicit whis-
ky. This is because the loneliness
and remoteness of the spots chosen for
making 1t, almost inaccessible through
the mountains and boys, save to those
who know something about the coun-
try, are all in favor of the smugglers
escaping detection; while it's network
of mountain lakes and small running
streams affords the necessary cold wa
ter for condensing the distilled fumes
into spirit during the cooling process.
Sweeter and dearer beyond any
parliament whisky"-by which ex-
preston he denotes that sort which
has paid the tax imposed by the Saxon
governments this fiery fluid to the
heart of every true peasant son of
Connaught. And in the interests of
inhabit the coast counties. from Ker-
~ to Donegal, inclusive, are also fully
alive to its seductive merits. Indeed,
many doctors Qocal, Of course), will
tell you that well made poteen is bet
ter in sickness than the adulterated
whisky usually met with in the small
public houses in this region of pow
erty; for in the Connemara country,
at any rate, the illicit whisky is made
of pure malt; though rumor has it that
the less particular palate of Donegal,
for instance, is satisfied with fire.
water mainly made from molasses, po-
tatoes-aye, sometimes from almost
anything you please.
How 1t Is Made.
It is always called "the stuff" in the
trade. You first prepare your barrels
of wash" or ground malt properly
fermented, which you can test as to it's
fitness for distilling by throwing in
handful of dry oats and seeing whether
they sink or swim in the liquid. These
barrels the police occasionally almost
walk into, concealed in lonesome
places or on barren islands in the
lakes by burying them nearly up to the
top rim and covering all with few
boards or poles and with layer of
grass, etc. You will fill your still with
wash" and light fire under it. The
still is huge round tin utensil riv-
eted and air tight, with convex bot
centrate the fire underneath, and mar
rowing at the neck, into which is fit
ted-and the joint also made air tight
"a worm.
Now, a worm, which is worth G3 or
"a sterling merely as old copper, is a
long pipe or tube Cooled in a spiral to
give as much surface as possible to
the cold water outside), through which
the fumes or steam driven off by the
heat from the confined liquor in the
still must pass and in which they are
condensed by the external cold into
LIQUID spirit, which is caught at the
end of the pipe in bucket as it flows
in a constant small stream. If this
more rapidly than it should, and the
fire must be lowered accordingly.
Submerged In Cold Water.
This worm is kept submerged in a
barrel of cold water, and a constant
supply is necessary in order to keep
the water in the barrel from heating,
in which case, of course, the worm
would fail to do it's work-hence run
ming water or a lake is necessary to
the distiller. Tin worms flavor the
stuff with a metallic taste, copper
ones, which are expensive, do not.
Once through the still the liquor
is called "singlings,' twice run
through it is "doublings" or has BEEN
as 1t is called doubled" and is the
completed spirit. It is very raw and
powerful, of course, much overproof
and has, especially when taken hot
from the still, very celebrating eff
feet It's flavor is smoky and indie
scribable, but not bad.