R - like reflux
What is a Reflux Condenser?
The Reflux Condenser at St. Kilian is an additional cooling coil located inside the Lyne Arm of the 6,000-liter Spirit Pot Still, the fine spirit still. It is a spindled copper pipe through which cooling water flows.
Is Reflux Condenser an official name?
The term Reflux Condenser is most likely not an official name. This important component was so named by St. Kilian Distillers. A reflux condenser could most likely be called an amplifier or dephlegmator.
Who had the idea for the Reflux Condenser?
The idea to install a reflux condenser in the Lyne Arm of the Spirit Still at St. Kilian came from the Irish Master Distiller David F. Hynes. David is our mentor and provided advice and support to the St. Kilian team during the planning and construction phase of the distillery.
Is this reflux condenser unique?
There are probably very few distilleries that have additionally installed such a cooling coil in a still that comes from the Scottish coppersmith Forsyths. To our knowledge, the Irish distillery Cooley, for which David F. Hynes worked, has installed a reflux condenser in its stills.
What does a Reflux Condenser do?
As cooling water flows through the spindled copper tube in a controlled manner, the temperature in the Lyne Arm can be regulated and the reflux controlled in this way.
What does reflux mean?
When liquid evaporates inside the still during distillation and the rising vapors are cooled again before reaching the condenser as a result of the cooler ambient temperature of the pot still, condensing and flowing back into the still, this is called reflux.
What does the reflux do?
If there is a lot of reflux, i.e. a high reflux rate, the vapors or the refluxing liquid have multiple contacts with copper. A lot of copper contact reduces the amount of unpleasant sulfur compounds in the distillate because copper has a high affinity for sulfur and can bind it chemically. Thus, at a high reflux rate, only the lightest vapors ultimately reach the condenser, are liquefied therein, and are collected. This results in a light distillate. Light in the sense of easily volatilized substances and aromas obtained from the wash or, during the second distillation in the Spirit Still, from the low wines. The light distillate, the New Make Spirit, tastes comparatively mild and fruity. On the other hand, the less copper contact and reflux there is, the edgier, harsher and more characterful the New Make Spirit becomes.
What is the effect of the Reflux Condenser?
Cold water can be passed through the Reflux Condenser at a specific temperature and a controlled flow rate. This allows the reflux to be controlled in a targeted manner and, if desired, also further intensified to maximized, and in this way a multiple distilled spirit is obtained. This multiple distillation is called "multiple distilled". In the end, only the lightest and lowest-boiling substances reach the condenser and are liquefied there.
What is the significance of the Reflux Condenser for St. Kilian?
The reflux condenser is an essential element for us to influence the spirit character during distillation. And this influence of the reflux condenser is enormous, because very different New Make Spirits can be produced from one and the same raw material, the wash, on a single distillation unit. This supports St. Kilian Distillers' love of experimentation and is exciting at the same time.
Has the Reflux Condenser already been used in practice?
A strong reflux also affects the smokiness, the mouthfeel as well as the sweetness of the New Make Spirit as used for the Signature Edition Eleven. For although peat smoke malt from Scotland was used at 54 ppm, this limited edition single malt whiskey is only mildly smoky. Due to the maximum reflux, only a few smoke flavors reach the condenser, the remaining smoke is better integrated and the spirit is thus smoother, sweeter and has a great mouthfeel. In this way, you get a wonderfully round single malt after just three years, as the Signature Edition Eleven proves.