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The Compleat Distiller (2nd Edition) - by Nixon and McCaw

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Description

Worldwide, there is a growing interest in distillation by those who enjoy making alcoholic beverages, essential oils, botanical extracts and perfumes. We have read books that purport to describe how distillation works, but got it wrong in whole or in part, and some that detail how to build a particular type of still and operate it but which are based more on myth than sound scientific and engineering knowledge. We came to the conclusion that there was a crying need for a book that gives a detailed account of the entire subject, avoiding old wives' tales and dealing entirely in verifiable facts. We were proud to have recently received this tribute: I read your book. Excellent work! As a teacher of Chemistry I must admit that this book is truly a teaching book of the highest caliber. It is a proud member of my library! MC

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Fermentation

How alcohol is created
Fermentation
Various types of fermentation
The art of fermentation
Special fermentation techniques
Dr. Cone's methods for high alcohol fermentation
Turbo yeast products
Techniques for employing either the Cone Protocol or turbo yeast

Chapter 2 How distillation works

Vapor pressure
Mixtures and solutions
A graphical description for mixtures
Cleaning and Polishing
Maturation

Chapter 3 Putting theory into practice

Batch and Continuous Distillation
Distilling water
Boilers
Condensers
Types of Still

Chapter 4 Equipment design

Materials
Solders
Seals
Flanges
Boilers
Boiler control
Condensers
Designing and building stills
Compound still management
Conclusion

Chapter 5 Operating procedures

General principles
Pot Distillation
Fractional Distillation
Compound Distillation

Chapter 6 Botanicals and essences

The Flavors and Scents of Nature
Definitions
Essential oils
Methods of Extraction
The Product

Chapter 7 The workshop

Safety
Some basic requirements
Basic techniques
Heating elements (control)
Soldering
Brazing (Silver Soldering)
Annealing
A final tip for the Distiller

Chapter 8 The Science behind the Curtain

Atoms and Molecules
Moles and Mols
Molecular structures
Avogadro
Volumes of Vapors
Mol Fractions
Dalton's Law for Gases
Raoult's Law for Liquids (boiling of mixtures)
Saturated Vapor Pressures
Latent Heat of Vaporization (LHV)
Logarithms
Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
Antoine Equation
Equilibrium Curves
Azeotropes
Reflux
Packing
Surge boiling
Supercooling and Column Stability
They were wrong!
A Final word

Appendix 1 Weights & Measures

Appendix 2 Carbohydrates for fermentation

Appendix 3 Hydrometer table

Appendix 4 Activated carbon

Appendix 5 Vapor Management

Appendix 6 Air-Cooled Condensation

Appendix 7 Scaling Up and Speeding Up

Appendix 8 References

Index

The Authors

Customer Reviews

	Excelent
	If you have any interest in distillation as a hobby this is not a book that you should have one your shelf. This is a book that you MUST have on your shelf. I read it cover to cover in 2 days. There is enough chemistry and physics in the book that you may not want to do that but if you don't have this as a reference then you don't have all the information you may need. The money investment will save you far more than you spend on the book down the road. Enjoy
	Did you find this helpful? 39 of 39 Found Helpful Reviewed by: Justin from Minnesota. - 12/30/2009 5/5

	The Compleat Distiller
	very interesting reading and very recomended! If you have any interest in distillation you should have it!:)
	Did you find this helpful? 14 of 16 Found Helpful Reviewed by: Kim Andersson from Canada. - 12/10/2013 5/5

	Very usful
	This book is a must have vor anyone who wants to learn more about distillation. It gave me a few ideas to improve on what I have. Some of the technical math may initially seem complex but it is explained very well, if read thoroughly I'm shure Anyone can figure out the best overall mash and still setup. But this book has way more than just scientific equations in it. Most of it is real world information that will ultimately help the end product. I think this is a great read for even the most experienced distiller.
	Did you find this helpful? 10 of 10 Found Helpful Reviewed by: jesse10tg659 from Roberts, MT. - 9/27/2014 5/5

	THE COMPLEAT DISTILLER
	THE COMPLEAT DISTILLER
	Did you find this helpful? 5 of 13 Found Helpful Reviewed by: Goran from Serbia. - 10/12/2009 5/5