Column still

A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still, is a variety of still consisting of two columns.

History

Sir Anthony Perrier

Sir Anthony Perrier (1770–1845) was operator of the Spring Lane distillery (Glen distillery) in Cork, Ireland from 1806. In 1822 he patented one of Europe's first continuous whiskey stills, a method that during distillation allowed the mash to flow gradually and continuously over the heat through a labyrinth of partitions. This meant small portions of fermented "wash" received the greatest amount of heat, thereby increasing the amount of potable alcohol that was collected.

Robert Stein

In 1828, Perrier's invention inspired a Scotsman, Robert Stein, to create a still that fed the "wash" through a column of partitions. He called it a "patent still". It was first used at the Cameron Bridge Grain Distillery in Fife, Scotland. Despite numerous presentations in the British Isles and in Europe, he never got the financial support needed to get his project off the ground and into the distilleries. However, a demonstration of Stein's still observed by a Dublin excise tax collector (or "gauger") yielded the greatest result.