Alcohol distillation has long been an activity pursued by alchemists and those with boundless curiosity. One of the oldest organic reactions, distillation can be applied to numerous base ingredients; seawater can even be distilled for potable drinking water production while various herbs and spices can be distilled to produce spirits for use as alcohol distillates.
Over time, distillation processes have been refined to meet new needs and take advantage of advances in technology. A pivotal development was the invention of the water bath by Italian alchemist Paracelsus in 15th-century, which prevented an alembic from cracking when heated and helped stabilize liquid temperatures while simultaneously improving how vapour was cooled via vessels filled with cold water.
The type of still used has an enormous effect on the final spirit product. Shorter, squatter stills typically capture heavier congeners while producing less reflux due to less travel needed by vaporized molecules to reach their lyne arm. Tall, narrow stills may help eliminate unwanted compounds and produce lighter spirits because fewer vapors reach the top of their column where they are captured; other factors such as fermentation temperature mash temperature and arm angle also play a part.
The type of spirit being made also dictates which grain and other raw materials to use for fermentation. Grapes grown in many subtropical and warm temperate areas worldwide serve as the main raw material for brandy production; similarly, rice is used in many Asian spirits.