Ok we have talked stills in the past. But never 3 chamber stills. They are unique and different and tend to make a very oily and viscous whiskey. Check it out, sorry it was raining hard in the shed so the mic might be a little hot or laggy. I tried to clean it up.
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A three-chamber still is a type of distillation apparatus, historically used for producing whiskey, particularly rye, in the mid-1800s and early 1900s. It features three separate chambers stacked vertically, each with a specific role in the distillation process. These stills are known for producing a heavier-bodied, aromatic spirit due to the way they extract flavor compounds.
Here's a breakdown of the three-chamber still:
Design:
The still consists of a tall, column-like structure, often made of wood or copper, divided into three chambers.
Function:
Freshly fermented mash (or distiller's beer) is fed into the top chamber. Steam, generated from the bottom chamber, heats the mash, and vapor containing alcohol and flavor compounds rises to the next chamber. Each chamber has a valve for liquid to flow down to the chamber below.
Extraction:
The bottom chamber, initially filled with water and then with spent mash, is where steam extracts heavier oils and flavor compounds.
Output:
The vapor from the bottom chamber then passes through the middle and top chambers, stripping out alcohol and flavor from the mash in each.
Historical Use:
Three-chamber stills were popular for producing rye whiskey in the mid-1800s but largely disappeared after Prohibition.
Why they are used:
Flavor profile:
Three-chamber stills are known for producing a heavy-bodied, oily, and aromatic spirit, often with lavender-like notes, making them suitable for rye whiskey.
Efficiency:
The design allows for efficient extraction of flavor compounds from the mash, resulting in a flavorful distillate.
Batch process:
Three-chamber stills are typically used in a batch process, meaning they are not continuously running, allowing for careful fractionation of heads, hearts, and tails.
Modern Revival:
Three-chamber stills are making a comeback in some distilleries as distillers seek to recreate the unique flavor profiles of pre-prohibition spirits.
Leopold Bros is a notable example of a distillery reviving this style, using a meticulously engineered three-chamber still to produce their signature Three Chamber Rye.
Leopold Bros Three Chamber Rye
The Revivial of a Lost American Tradition
Leopold Bros. painstakingly re-engineered a Three Chamber Still from old manuscripts and grew the heritage grain Abruzzi rye that was favored by Pre-Prohibition distillers to resurrect this one-of-a-kind whiskey.
The 2022 summer release of the Three Chamber Rye is a Single Barrel offering. Todd Leopold worked through our dunnage warehouse, searching for the best barrels that are at least 5 years old.
He found some commonalities: rich aromas of peanut shell, maple syrup, cocoa nibs, and hazelnuts followed by wafts of fruits like plum, cherries, apricot and orange marmalade. In the finish, you will find the floral notes that are the hallmarks of Three Chamber Rye: lavender, rose, elderflower, and chamomile. Each barrel he selected has differing intensities of these notes and thus every bottle from this collection is marked with the barrel number and the date the barrel was filled. We hope you enjoy this rebirth of an American classic as much as we enjoyed making it.
