An Improved Manufacture of Alcoholic Spirits and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Manufacture of Alcoholic Spirits and Apparatus
therefor.
I, EMILE BARBET, of 167, Rue de Rennes, Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
There is, as well known, considerable distinction between modern distilling
on the industrial scale, and the old still process for producing alcohols.
A hundred years ago only spirits of wines, cider, cherries, cane sugar and
molasses were known which were obtained by rude and elementary processes
including so-called spontaneous" fermentations and alembical distillation.
When industrial distilling made its way finding its raw materials in cheap
and abundant agricultural products such as grain, potatoes, beet-roots, arti
chokes and the residues of sugar (molasses), recourse was had to much more
complicated processes. In addition to the introduction of the preliminary sac-
charification for amylaceous sulistances, distillers endeavoured to make rapid
industrial fermentations by introducing beer-yeast to effect continuous distil-
lation and finally to purify the product (which hardly resembled natural spirits)
by rectifying, filtering and treating it chemically or electrically, or adding
perfumes and the like.
All these improvements have only served to intensify the difference existing
between the two kinds of distilling. The old method has preserved intact its
supremacy while the industrial distilling only aimed at producing common
stuff very cheaply and free from odoriferous substances, alcohol in fact. It
endeavoured to destroy all odour of the original substance and approach as
closely as possible to chemical neutrality and purity. This neutrality itself.
however, shews that it was not expected to have any special qualities and all
that was aimed at was as few defects as possible.
The processes which are about to be described are intended to give
a fresh direction to industrial distilling, and will result in producing genuine
spirit with a delicate flavour as of old, from any cheap agricultural raw
materials. For this it suffices to follow the ancient processes more closely and
to adopt the modern operations thereto, a course from which operators had
totally deviated.
In my preliminary experiments I only considered the possibility of increasing
the production of the distillery operated by the vineyard proprietor, and indi-
cated methods of making at the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th distillation of the grape marc
spirits similar to natural spirit obtained at the 1st operation by ordinary
country methods such as are now in use by the vine grower and capable of
being employed by him.
Now, however, I have extended the investigation and aim at a different
thing. I can now cause the industrial distillery to produce from a raw sub-
stance of any kind by means of my process not crude alcohol, but a full bodied
"wine spirit" able of competing with naturally distilled wine spirit.

page_text: All agricultural products which are capable of producing alcohol, such as
fruits, cereals, beet-roots and the, like have their own special odours.
The first part of the process is to remove the distinctive flavour of the low
priced material and to isolate the material producing alcohol in a pure state
and eliminate all the rest. From cereals the starch is extracted; from potatoes
the flour (fecula), from beet-root the sugar is extracted as would be done for
making sugar.
When this has been done, it is necessary to reproduce the fermentation of
fruits, specially imitating that of those fruits, the flavour of which it is desired
to reproduce.
The generic characteristic of all natural fermentations of fruits is that they
are protected against bacteria and bad odours which result therefrom by con-
siderable organic acidity. Tartaric acid and bi-tartrates in grapes malic acid in
apples, citric or tannic acid in other fruits; the percentage of all these acids
is tolerably high; one quarter of their equivalent in sulphuric acid would
however be sufficient to destroy all artificial fermentation. These strong acids
protect the wort not only during fermentation but for months afterwards, whilst
wort artificially fermented must be distilled immediately or else in a short
time it would be corrupted by all kinds of microbes.
Fruits have another peculiarity, viz., that of possessing natural ferments
acclimatized to the special strong acidity of the juice, and fermentation by these
produces besides alcohol abundant secretions of fatty acids and of peculiar
Havours which are not produced artificially. In good spirits there are three
categories of perfumes.
1. Those existing in the sweet juice before any fermentation.
2. Those formed during fermentation.
8. Those formed after fermentation by maturing.
The two latter are incontestably the most important, as the original aroma
of the sweet juice is not preserved indefinitely and it rather destroys the
delicacy of the product. I therefore aim at producing the two latter, and am
even able by suitable operations to augment the secretions of the ferments and
hasten the maturing.
Such is the basis of the processes which I am about to describe.
In some of the stages of manufacture I make use of methods previously
known, but at other points I describe new methods of manufacture adapted to
the new requirements. It is the combination of all these successive means
which distinguishes the new invention.
1ST STAGE. ISOLATION OF THE ALCOHOLIC PRODUCING SUBSTANCE IN A PURE
STATE.
As already mentioned, potatoes are treated for extracting the fecula, and
cereals for extracting the starch by the ordinary processes. Sugar is extracted
from beets by the usual methods as in the sugar industry.
2ND STAGE. SACCHARIFICATION OF THE STARCHY SUBSTANCES.
The fecula or starch is first treated with oxidizing agents to remove all the
original odour as for instance with oxygenated water, ozone, or with bi-sulphites.
For saccharification the following is preferably employed:
The requisite quantity of sulphuric acid at the rate of from one to one and
a half per rent. on the dry starch. The first boiling takes place in the open
air for liquefaction, and afterwards in an air-tight copper vessel for not longer
than one and a half hours, the average time is about an hour.
After saturation with chalk the syrup is very slightly tinted.
Then filtration
through a filter and afterwards through animal charcoal and if necessary.
through wood charcoal; it should then be completely colourless and inodourous.
3RD STAGE. COMPOSITION OF THE SWEET WORT.
Tt ie mocasser to ourronch
salosely as possible to the composition of the

page_text: juice of fruits, particularly as to acid and saline substances. Mineral acids are
absolutely to be rejected.
The most convenient method of reproducing the juice of fruits is to make
use of the lees of fruit juice from which the spirit has been distilled. It may
appear difficult at first to obtain a sufficient quantity of these lees for the daily
requirements in large manufacture, but it must be remembered that the original
lees can be used at least five times or more; if certain special heating precau-
tions are taken in the distilling. The principal difficulty is the tendency to
burn and therefore the distilling apparatus must only be heated by steam.
Moreover the colour and odour of caramel can easily be removed from the liquor
either by certain defecants or by a small quantity of animal charcoal previously
washed in acid. With these precautions the worts can be used over again a
considerable number of times.
I do not confine myself to these means but reserve the right of making addi-
tions either of cream of tartar or citric or malic acid, or of phosphate of ammonia
and the like, according to circumstances.
The addition of a certain proportion of wine or cider is not all waste as
these liquors contribute their contingent of spirit. Finally, dry raisins, figs,
preserved or fresh apples may be utilized.
4TH STAGE. FERMENTATION.
I reserve the right of using the processes of fermentation by pure cultures
and continuous fermentation for which I applied for Letters Patent on the
Eighth day of August 1899 No. 16159. Those improvements were invented in
view of my new industrial system of alcoholisation, notably the production of
acrated yeast for giving it the maximum of activity and vitality in very acid
worts. I repeat that the purity of fermentations and the high percentage of
alcohol in brandy are the direct outcome of the special organic acidity of the
grape must.
5TH STAGE. MATURING OF THE WINES BEFORE DISTILLATION.
Experience has shewn me that it is extremely difficult to produce forced
maturing in spirits after or during distillation: I have however for the most
part obviated the difficulty by maturing the fermented liquid before it is dis-
tilled. It is well known that the manufacturers of natural brandies and rums
attach the greatest importance to the manner in which the heating of the
alembic is conducted. Much better results are obtained when the distillation is
conducted very slowly. The improvement evidently results from the various
elements constituting the fermented liquid having the time to combine their
perfumes, thus forming an agreeable aroma.
My new process is designed to increase the effect of a protracted operation
without however delaying the still to an unreasonable extent. It suffices to heat
the liquors prior to distillation and to keep them at a high temperature for a
considerable time.
The Pasteurization of wines in which their temperature is only raised to 67°
and for rather a short time already matures the wines to a considerable extent;
there is nothing to prevent the use of higher temperatures and greatly prolonging
the operation.
Thus, after the vats C or fermentation tuns (see the accompanying drawing)
we arrange two, three, or four closed vats, B1, B2, B3, the whole capacity of
which represents a half day's or even a whole day's work. Each vat B is pre-
ceded by a tubular heater, A', A2, A3. The liquor is drawn by a pump P from
the fermentation tun and driven through the first heater A into the vat B¹.
In the tubular casing of A¹ hot water can be circulated coming from the cooling
of the still, and thus giving a preliminary heating to the liquid without any
expenditure of fuel. The temperature of the liquid in B can thus attain at
least to 50°. The heaters A2, A³ are heated by the waste steam or the escaped
vapours, the admission of which is so regulated as to attain the best temperature,

page_text: The vats B1, B2, B3 are to be placed as much as possible on a higher level
than that of the still, so that the charging can take place rapidly. This does
not impede the continuous entrance of the liquor into the heater. A¹, it is
necessary in fact to have a continuous and regular passage through the heaters
to keep the temperatures chosen regular.
Whatever the character that it is sought to give to the spirits (that of wine,
of cider, of cane sugar and the like) the process of heating the liquor will
produce the same results. Before their entrance into the alembic. the com-
bination of fatty or organic acids and alcohol for forming ethers will have been
introduced, and the other normal results of a properly conducted process will
have been produced, and consequently the distilled product will present superior
qualities of taste and odour.
I reserve particularly the means described for effecting this Pasteurisation
of wine, and also the right of varying the proportions, the duration of the
heating, the temperature in the vats, the number of rats, according to the
nature of the products and the practical results in each case.
The following is another and very important improvement. Carbonic acid
plays a very important part in the creation of perfumes and even etherification.
In the first place it is an excellent vehicle for perfumes: there is nothing more
delicious than the fumes of fermentations of fruit, whatever they may be, and
nothing more characteristic also than the whiffs of carbonic acid gas which
escape from the liquid at the beginning of the heating process. It is a pity
to lose these fresh aromas, and some have endeavoured to capture them by
causing the gases from the fermentation vats to pass into a liquid slightly
alcoholized.
My method is a different one.
After the last vessel for Pasteurizing the wine. I place a copper air-tight
vessel L. This vessel may, for example, contain the exact charge of the
still boiler M. It is tested for one kilo. and provided with a safety valve
lifting at this pressure. The fermentation gas is collected by means of a
pump S and it is driven into a tube located at the bottom of the vat. The hot
wine is saturated with the carbonic gas under pressure by means of the tem-
perature, and the pressure excites the mingling of perfumes desired.
I reserve the right of adding to the carbonic acid gas injected a trace of
sulphurous acid: this as appearing also to have a favourable influence on
distilled spirits, or any other gaseous or vapourous substance, the effect of which
would be advantageous.
GTH STAGE DISTILLATION.
This. is effected by means of one of the numerous apparatuses already known
either continuous or intermittent, which give a choice of the various volatile
components of a wine and allow what is bad to be taken out, and which is good
to be mixed together again.
The product of the distillation can be rectified if desired.
My system of manufacture, however, requires no further rectification and it
need only be employed for those who desire alcohol absolutely without odour.
7TH STAGE. MATURATION.
I return to the old established maturing of the products in tuns and casks.
Whatever the size of the works, this is not an impossibility as we see the
immense distilleries of Scotland, Ireland and America make their whisky in
this manner. Obviously it increases the expense of manufacture but the result
obtained compensates thorofar The formentations of the Inala Sarana in foot
This is effected by means of one of the numerous apparatuses already known
either continuous or intermittent, which give a choice of the various volatile
components of a wine and allow what is bad to be taken out, and which is good
to be mixed together again.
The product of the distillation can be rectified if desired.
My system of manufacture, however, requires no further rectification and it
need only be employed for those who desire alcohol absolutely without odour.
7TH STAGE. MATURATION.
I return to the old established maturing of the products in tuns and casks.
Whatever the size of the works, this is not an impossibility as we see the
immense distilleries of Scotland, Ireland and America make their whisky in
this manner. Obviously it increases the expense of manufacture but the result
obtained compensates therefor The formentations of the Ingle Saxons in fact,
are very mediocre and entirely industrial, and produce at the time very impure
and undrinkable grain spirit, but their system of maturing is so efficacious that
their products became good at the end of some years, so that the English and
:

page_text: I wish to imitate the
Americans sometimes prefer them to my brandies.
Anglo-Saxons who hardly rectify at all, although making industrial use for
distilling of substances such as maize, but at the same time I wish to do better.
I claim that our products as they come from the still are already agreeable
and fruity, and that these perfumes, owing to the elimination of the odours of
the original substance and artificial production of perfume by a new fermenta-
tion, unite to make kinds of cognac whisky, calvados whisky, kirsch whisky
and plum whisky, and the like, well manufactured, healthy, agreeable and
I have indicated the
cheaper than cognacs and other authentic brandies.
manner in which the onerous period of maturing is shortened by means of
heating the liquors before distillation.
also have recourse to means
already used for whisky, it is a question of storage, and my manufacturers can
casily find warehouses to take charge of their goods.
I can
The products of my process may be sold with a guarantee that they are free
from blending and from additions of essences which are the terror of hygienists.
The spirit will be absolutely natural, as it comes out of the alembic except the
maturing in the cask as is always done for brandies.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
The improved process for the production of alcohol on an industrial scale,
consisting of the combination of operations herein before described forming a
novel process having as its object the production of a novel industrial product
of the type of Pasteurised whisky cognac, substantially as set forth.
T +1 ve at An 1800
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Helborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.