IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR AGEING AND REFINING WINES, ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUORS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue and
Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR AGEING AND
REFINING WINES, ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUORS."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Reuben Daniel Turner, of the City, County, and
State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th November 1867.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent
Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chaucery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR AGEING AND
REFINING WINES, ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUOBS," to be as follows:-
It is an acknowledged fact that the quality of wines is improved as much
or more by what is extracted as by what is put into them, also that the same
element that gives them odour gives them also flavour. These remarks apply
equally to other alcoholic liquors. Furthermore it has been demonstrated
that this element is volatile, and that the volatile gases or substances

page_text: composing the same can be separated and controlled in vacuo. In the
ordinary or natural process of what is called "ageing " liquors or wines the
escape of the noxious odoriferous volatile gases is impeded, firstly, by the
pressure of the atmosphere, and, secondly, by the attraction of the same to
the liquor.
To expedite the process of ageing or refining wines, spirits, or other liquors
it has before been proposed to employ both heat and agitation, but this
Invention aims at accomplishing the same in a more perfect or effectual
manner by removing the two obstructions specified, and at the same time
placing the liquor in conditions most favorable to the escape of its volatile
flavouring element, the pressure of the atmosphere being removed by
treating the wine or liquor in vacuo and throwing it into spray or mist, and
after again collecting it in liquid form running it in a thin body or flow over a
series of perforated plates, thereby presenting an increased exposure or surface
for its treatment, while the attraction is broken by raising the liquor during
such treatment to a degree only a little below the vaporizing point, thus
setting free the volatile gases and allowing them to escape into the vacuum,
from which they may be drawn by a pump.
The apparatus for carrying out the Invention is arranged in the following
manner: The pipe or pipes for conveying the wine to be treated to one, two,
or more vessels are of a close character so far as exposure to the external
atmosphere is concerned. These vessels are arranged to occupy a position
within a vacuum chamber at or near its top, and are provided internally with an
upper perforated distributing basin for distributing the wine as it is conveyed
to said vessel or vessels. An agitator, by preference composed of arched or
crooked vanes arranged in a spiral or intermediate manner around a vertical
shaft, is made to rotate by any suitable means within said vessel, the hollow
or arched configuration of the vanes occupying an advanced position, so as to
break up the distributed wine or liquor as it issues from the perforated basin
without scattering or forcing it through perforations made in the sides of the
vessels, which establish communication between the interior of said vessels
and the vacuum chamber, and which perforations are for the purpose of
passing off any gases detached from the liquor as it is broken into spray by
the agitators, said mist or spray finally resolving itself at the bottom of the
vessels into a more compact or liquid form, and escaping by suitable apertures
in a thin stream on to a tray, from which it runs by an aperture or apertures
at one end on to an under inclined tray, and from thence through an aperture
or apertures on to a reversed inclined tray, and so on for any number of trays
qne below the other, all arranged within the vacuum chamber, and each
"

page_text: having a reverse run or inclined "set" to the one immediately above it with
the delivery apertures at the lower end of them, and further or for the most
part provided with perforations in their bottom, the liquor ultimately delivering
itself into a receiver, from which it may be drawn off as required. In this
way it will be seen not only is an agitation of the wine kept up in vacuo, but
such a scattered distribution of it in thin layers or streams and general or
enlarged surface exposure of it as is most favorable to the escape of the
noxious, odoriferous, and volatile gases that may be drawn off by an air pȧmp-
or otherwise and allowed to pass off either to the atmosphere or to a
condenser for after treatment. It is not, however, by agitation or separation
into mist and after surface distribution or exposure with the atmospheric-
pressure removed that the result sought to be attained. alone is secured, but in:
addition or conjunction with such treatment simultaneously subjecting the
wine or liquor to a degree of heat but little below its vaporizing point or tem--
perature, whereby the attraction of the gases to the liquor is broken up and a
freer escape established for the gases by the increase in volume of the liquor,..
and consequently more open character given to the same. This may be done.
by surrounding the vacuum chamber with. a jacket provided with suitable-
inlet and outlet pipes, and kept to the desired temperature by the circulation.
through it and round the chamber of steam, hot water, or other fluid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent, filed
by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN.
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents and.
Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Garrett Tongue, Her special licence that I, the said John.
Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others.
as I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time-
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should aud

page_text: lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED FOR
AGING AND REFINING WINES, ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS, AND OTHER LIQUORS," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Reuben Daniel Turner, of the City,
County, and State of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or same
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
It is an acknowledged fact that the quality of wines is improved as much or
more by what is extracted as by what is put into them; also that the same
element that gives them odor gives them also flavor. These remarks apply
equally to other alcoholic liquors. Furthermore it has been demonstrated that
this element is volatile, and that the volatile gases or substances composing the
same can be separated and controlled in vacuo. In the ordinary or natural
process of what is called "ageing" liquors or wines the escape of the noxious
odoriferous volatile gases is impeded, firstly, by the pressure of the atmosphere
and, secondly, by the attraction of the same to the liquor.
To expedite the process of ageing or refining wines, spirits, or other liquors
it has before been proposed to employ both heat and agitation, but this Inven-
tion aims at accomplishing the same in a more perfect or effectual manner by
removing the two obstructions specified, and at the same time placing the
liquor in conditions most favorable to the escape of its volatile flavoring
element, the pressure of the atmosphere being removed by treating the wine
or liquor in vacuo and throwing it into spray or mist, and after again collecting
it in liquid form running it in a thin body or flow over a series of perforated
plates, thereby presenting an increased exposure or surface for its' treatment,
while the attraction is broken by raising the liquor during such treatment to
a degree only a little below the vaporizing point, thus setting free the volatile
gases and allowing them to escape into the vacuum, from which they may be
drawn by a pump.

page_text: And in order that the nature of these improvements may be most fully
understood I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of an apparatus employed in carrying
out these improvements, and Figure 2 is a horizontal section_in part of the
same through the line a, a, in Figure 1.
A represents the pipe or pipes for conveying the wine to be treated to one,
two, or more vessels B, which are of a close character so far as exposure to the
external atmosphere is concerned. These vessels are arranged to occupy a
position within a vacuum chamber C at or near its top, and are provided
internally with an upper perforated distributing basin D for distributing the
wine as it is conveyed to said vessel or vessels. An agitator E, composed of
arched or crooked vanes preferably arranged in a spiral or intermediate
mai ner around a vertical shaft, is made to rotate by any suitable means within
said vessel B, the hollow or arched configuration of the vanes occupying an
advanced position, so as to break up the distributed wine or liquor as it issues
from the perforated basin D without scattering or forcing it through per-
forations a made in the sides of the vessels B which establish communication
between the interior of said vessels and the vacuum chamber C, and which
perforations are for the purpose of passing off any gases detached from the
liquor as it is broken into spray by the agitators, said mist or spray finally
resolving itself at the bottom of the vessels B into a more compact or liquid
form, and escaping by suitable apertures 6 in a thin stream on to a tray
F, from which it runs by an aperture or apertures c on to an under inclined
tray F, and from thence through an aperture or apertures d on to a reversed
inclined tray F, and so on for any number of trays one below the other, all
arranged within the vacuum chamber C, and each having a reverse run or
inclined "set" to the one immediately above it with the delivery apertures at
the lower end of them, and further or for the most part provided with
perforations e in their bottom, the liquor ultimately delivering itself into a
receiver G, from which it may be drawn off as required. In this way it will
be seen not only is an agitation of the wine kept up in vacuo but such a
scattered distribution of it in thin layers or streams and general or enlarged
surface exposure of it as is most favorable to the escape of the noxious,
odoriferous, and volatile gases that may be drawn off by an air pump H or
otherwise, and allowed to pass off either to the atmosphere or to a condenser
for after treatment. It is not, however, by agitation or separation into mist
and after surface distribution or exposure with the atmospheric pressure

page_text: removed that the result sought to be attained alone is secured, but in addition
to or conjunction with such treatment simultaneously subjecting the wine or
liquor to a degree of heat but little below its vaporizing point or temperature,
whereby the attraction of the gases to the liquor is broken up and a freer
escape established for the gases by the increase in volume of the liquor,
and consequently more open character given to the same. This may be
done by surrounding the vacuum chamber C with a jacket I provided with
suitable inlet and outlet pipes and kept to the desired temperature by the
circulation through it and round the chamber C of steam, hot water, or other
fluid.
Having thus fully described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into practice, it should be clearly understood that the
process and apparatus previously described may be varied without departing
from the true character of the Invention; but what is claimed and intended
to be secured under the above in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The process substantially as herein described of treating wines or
other liquors in vacuo and under the influence of heat by agitating it in a
distributed form, so as to convert it into a spray, and afterwards circulating the
same in a more compact or liquid state in thin layers or streams, essentially as
and for the purpose or purposes herein described.
Second. The combination with the vacuum chamber C of one or more
perforated vessels B having perforated receiving distributors at or near their
top, and agitators operating within them, substantially as herein described
and shown in the Drawing.
Third. In combination with the vacuum chamber C and vessel or
vessels B, having agitators operating within them, of a series of reversely
inclined trays or surface distributors arranged for operation in connection
with the agitators, substantially as herein described and shown in the
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have hereunto set
my band and seal, this Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (LS.)