Process for producing whisky

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PRODUCING WHISKY THE STEPS, WHICH COMPRISE INTRODUCING A FERMENTED ALCOHOLIC MASH, WHICH CONTAINS ALCOHOL AND ALSO CONGENERS SOME OF WHICH ARE OF HIGHER, AND OTHERS OF LOWER, BOILING POINT THAN THAT OF ALCOHOL, INTO A DISTILLING COLUMN WHILE SUPPLYING HEAT TO THE COLUMM, THEREBY VAPORIZING THE ALCOHOL AND CONGENERS CONTAINED IN THE MASH, CONDUCTING THE ALCOHOL AND CONGENER VAPORS FROM SAID COLUMN TO A CONDENSER TO PRODUCE A DISTILLING COLUMN CONDENSATE CONTAINING BOTH THE ALCOHOL AND THE HIGHER AND LOWER BOILING CONGENERS, DIVIDING SAID DISTILLING COUMN CONDENSATE INTO A FIRST PORTION AND A SECOND PORTION, REFLUXING THE FIRST CONDENSATE PORTION TO THE DISTILING COLUMN AND THEN WITHDRAWING FROM SAID COLUMN A REFLUX FRACTION AS A LIQUID, FEEDING SAD REFLUX FRACTION THUS WITHDRAWN FROM THE DISTILLING COLUMN TO A FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN WHILE SUPPLYING HEAT TO SAID FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN, THEREBY VAPORIZING THE ALCOHOL AND LOWER BIOLING CONGENERS TO SEPARATE THEM FROM THE FUSEL OIL CONSTITUENTS OF THE HIGHER BOILING CONGENERS, DRAWING OFF THE FUSEL OIL CONSTITUENTS FROM THE FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN, CONDUCTING THE ALCOHOL AND LOWER BOILING CONGENER VAPORS FROM SAID FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN TO A CONDENSER TO PRODUCE A FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN CONDENSATE CONTANINIG BOTH THE ALCOHOL AND THE LOWER BOILING CONGENERS, DIVIDING SAID CONDENSATE INTO A FIRST PORTION AND A SECOND PORTION, REFLUXING THE FIRST CONDENSATE PORTION FROM THE LAST-MENTIONED CONDENSER TO THE FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN, FEEDING THE SECOND CONDENSATE PORTION FROM THE LAST-MENTIONED CONDENSER, ALONG WITH THE SECOND CONDENSATE PORTION OF THE DISTILLING COLUMN CONDENSATE, TO A SECOND FRACTIONATING COLUNM WHILE SUPPLYING HEAT TO THE COLUMN, THEREBY VAPORIZING THE ALCOHOL AND ANY LOWER AND HIGHER BOILING CONGENERS STILL REMAINING IN SAID SECOND CONDENSATE PORTIONS OF THE DISTILING COLUMN CONDENSATE AND OF THE FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN CONDENSATE,CONDUCTING THE VAPORS FROM THE SECOND FRACTIONATING COLUMN TO A CONDENSER TO PRODUCT A CONDENSATE RICH IN ALCOHOL, REFLUXING A PORTION OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED CONDENSATE TO THE SECOND FRACTIONATING COLUMN, AND WITHDRAWING THE REMAINDER THEREOF AS A FINAL WHISKY DISTILLATE THE COMPOSITION AND QUALITY OF WHICH ARE DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELATIVE PROPORTIONS INTO WHICH THE DISTILLING COLUMN CONDENSATE IS DIVIDED INTO THE FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS.