by cowdery » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:31 pm
I certainly expect to write about the Buffalo Trace wheaters when they become available. As for trying to approximate the pre-1972 Stitzel whiskey, the recipe is only part of the issue. There are also some equipment differences. At SW, the entire still system was made of copper and was designed with essentially no rectifying plates. Instead the beer from the beer heater enters the still in a copper pipe that coils around inside the rectifying section of the still much like the coil in an old flake stand-type condensor. The beer exits the pipe directly on to the feed tray. Between the coil and the feed tray is a single disc and donut tray. The coil causes a fraction of the rising vapor to condense and drip onto the disc and donut tray. This limits the proof of the first distillation to no more than 120, which is what you want with a wheater. The still at Maker's is similar to SW in these respects. The stills at Bernheim and Buffalo Trace are not. They use more traditional rectifying plates in the top of their columns.
UD still owns SW and although there are some asbestos abatement problems that would have to be overcome before it could be reactivated, the possibility is there. I think that would be a wonderful thing.