Distilled spirits such as gin or brandy date back hundreds of years. At Can Vidalet, winery in Pollença, we have an artisanal distillation system in the form of a still. Would you like to know more about our still? In this article we will be telling you all the details.
A tool with hundreds of years of history at our winery in Mallorca
The still is a well know piece of equipment in the wine industry due to its efficiency and historical legacy. Thanks to it, we can create spirits such as schnapps, gin, rum, whiskey and much more.
The greatest splendour of distillation dates back to the Ancient Alexandria, between 200 and 300 after Christ, in a period which is strongly believed to be when this artefact was created, according to historical writers such as Zosimos of Panopolis. In fact, the origin of the term comes from the Arabic “al-anbiq”, which is composed of the Arabic article “al” and the ancient Greek word for vessel “ambyx”.
This artisanal system allows for better control during the process when separating the evaporation (heating) and condensation (cooling) processes, which is still used to this day in the distillation process. But, what exactly is distillation? This technique consists in the regulating of the external heat input (created in to energy), in order to create a slow and constant distillation rhythm.
The still is made up of four parts: the boiler, which acts as a foundation to heat the liquid in the evaporation or heating process; the capitel, into which the most volatile products rise, thus preventing the condensation of the evaporated liquid. After this process, the steam heads toward a swan neck, the third part, where the gas is condensed by the drop in temperature and travels to the refrigeration compartment and is transformed in to a liquid.
The spirits at our winery in Mallorca
At our winery in the north of Mallorca we have an in-house still in which we distil our own gins and brandies. It is a true privilege to have this kind of machinery on our premises, as it allows us to achieve a made to measure product through a precise distillation process. Our Onze gin is a clear example of this. We begin with an alcoholic base which is macerated with 11 Mediterranean botanicals which after a few days of being macerated, we distil in small batches and produce our dry artisanal gin.
Brandy, on the other hand is a type of schnapps obtained by the distillation of the fermented paste made by the husks, the skin of the grape and its seeds. That means, that we include the grape without fermenting it, made up of the pulp, husks and the seeds in a deposit. After the fermentation process a wine is obtained, which is the liquid part, and also the fermented brandy, which is the solid part. This last product is what is distilled in the still in order to obtain the brandy spirit.
At Can Vidalet, we offer our own hand crafted spirits: the U37, created through distillation and maceration with citrus fruits and fresh herbs (mint and lemon verbena); the Marc de Moscatel, distilled from muscatel grapes and matured in French oak barrels and the Marc de Cecili, distilled in a selection of fermented skins and seeds from red and white grapes.
Buy brandy or gin at our winery in Mallorca
Now that you know what a still is and about the process of distillation, you will understand the importance of relying on our own still to be able to regulate each and every one of the distillation processes to exactly how we want it and therefor offer our product. Discover each and every one of the aromas which characterize our brandies and gins and lose yourself in the different grape varieties used. Buy brandy and gin at our winery in Mallorca and savour local flavours.
Do you have any queries? Don’t forget that you can contact our winery in Pollensa. We would be more than happy to help answer any questions that you may have.
