Alcohol Distillation and Its Role in Folk Medicine

Distillation has long been used as part of folk medicine to create healing and restorative alcoholic liqueurs that were passed from generation to generation, especially among poor populations who couldn’t afford expensive medications or travel for treatment at local apothecaries.

Alcohol distillation involves heating liquid to create vapour which is then condensed by running water through pipes to be cooled back down again, creating distillate (containing many volatile compounds removed from liquid) which then condenses back down as pure alcohol or grain alcohol and can then be used in medicinal tinctures, herbal remedies and food recipes.

Distillates is typically composed primarily of Ethanol, although other substances with lower boiling points such as heads and tails must also be included to form the spirit run. Distillers typically separate these undesirable and potentially toxic substances such as Methanol or Acetone from their spirit run batch, often redirecting it back into another batch for redistillation.

Hearts on the other hand contain desirable substances such as esters. Esters are natural chemical compounds formed when carboxylic acids combine with alcohol to produce pleasant aromas such as fruity sweetness. Distillers use taps on a Perkin Triangle to collect these fractions; their timing of selection decisions determines the final flavour profile of their spirit based on experience, senses and artistry – an invaluable decision-making process!