still

  1. A device used to distill liquids, often used for concentrating wine and beer into distilled spirits. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, a still separates alcohol and water by heating a mixture of the two and then collecting the evaporated alcohol. A basic still consists of four components:
  • A pot, which is filled with the fermented wine or beer
  • A heating element which heats the pot from below
  • A condenser, sometimes water-cooled, which turns the evaporated alcohol back into a liquid
  • A collection vessel, into which the alcohol flows after it passes through the condenser