🥃 Double distillation
Batch pot-still method: the first run gives a weak spirit (20–32% ABV), the second is cut into heads, heart and tails. It is how cognac and single malt Scotch are made.
If a whisky label says "double distilled", this is what it means. Double distillation is a method in which wash or wine is distilled twice in batch pot stills. The first run gives a weak spirit; the second separates the aromatic heart from the heads and tails. Cognac, single malt Scotch whisky and many fruit spirits are made this way.
First run. In Scotland the wash is distilled in a large wash still and gives low wines of about 20% ABV. In Charente the wine gives a cloudy brouillis of about 30–32% ABV. This stage separates the alcohol from water, yeast and residues.
Second run. The weak spirit goes into a second still. The light heads come off first and the heavy tails at the end; both fractions are set aside and added to the next batch. The heart is the future whisky or cognac spirit: about 68% ABV in Scotland and about 70% in Charente. Under the Fine Faugères rules the spirit in the collection vessel must not exceed 70% ABV.
Copper and stills. Stills, helmets and condensers are made of copper, which binds sulphur compounds so the spirit becomes cleaner. Unlike a column, which works continuously and gives a stronger, lighter spirit in one pass, a pot still works in batches and keeps more aromatic compounds. Irish pot still whiskey is often distilled three times, while Armagnac is usually distilled once in a column.
Why it matters to you. A double-distillation mark on the label explains the style: a rich, aromatic spirit that matures well in oak. More distillations do not mean a better drink, only a different one. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe amount of alcohol.
Facts
| Distillation method | two runs in batch pot stills: weak spirit 20–32% ABV, then heart about 68–70% ABV |
|---|---|
| Raw material | mash of malted barley, wine or fermented fruit |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Double distillation → kind of → ⚗️ How spirits are made → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🥃 Charentais alembic, 🥃 Cognac, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Brinjevec
- Previous step
- 🥃 Hasseltse jenever, 🥃 Heads, hearts, tails, 🥃 Mahua, 🥃 Trenčín borovička (Trenčianska borovička „JUNIPERUS“)
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health
- Part of
- ⚗️ How spirits are made
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, 🥃 Irish Grain Whiskey, 🥃 Armagnac, 🥃 Pot still distillation, 🥃 Rectification, 🥃 Triple distillation
Frequently asked questions
What does "double distilled" mean on a whisky label?
That the spirit was run through a pot still twice: the first run gives a weak spirit, the second separates the heart from the heads and tails. Most single malt Scotch whiskies are made this way.
Does double distillation make the bottled drink stronger?
No. The second run gives a heart of about 68–70% ABV, but before bottling the spirit is diluted with water to the usual strength, often 40%.
Which drinks are distilled twice?
Cognac (compulsorily), most single malt Scotch whiskies, Fine Faugères, Slovenian brinjevec and many fruit spirits.
How does double distillation differ from column distillation?
A pot still works in batches and keeps more aromatic compounds; a column distils continuously and gives a stronger, lighter spirit in one pass.
Why are the stills made of copper?
Copper binds sulphur compounds and makes the spirit cleaner; the rules for cognac and Fine Faugères require copper stills.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey — Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is Irish whiskey from one distillery, made from malted and unmalted barley (at least 30% of each) in copper pot stills; 3+ years in wooden casks, 40% ABV or more.
- 🥃 Charentais alembic — Copper pot still from the Charente region, the only apparatus allowed for cognac: white wine is distilled twice over open fire; pot up to 30 hl, spirit up to 73.7% ABV.
- 🥃 Brinjevec — Brinjevec is a Slovenian spirit distilled from fermented common juniper berries, not a gin: an EU geographical indication in the fruit spirit category, at least 40% ABV, aged at least 6 months.
- 🥃 Irish Grain Whiskey — Irish grain whiskey is made in column stills from up to 30% malted barley plus unmalted maize, wheat or barley. Aged at least 3 years in wooden casks in Ireland, 40% ABV (80 proof) or more; lighter than pot still, the base of Irish blends.
Similar
🥃 Heads, hearts, tails · 🥃 Column still · 🥃 Distillation · 🥃 Triple distillation · 🥃 Blending · 🥃 Malting
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Experience: Whisky making — wash still produces low wines at about 20 % vol.; spirit still; foreshots and feints set aside and redistilled; heart of the run about 68 % vol.
- Scotch Whisky Association text (archived at the University of Edinburgh): Scotch Whisky in the Making — malt whisky distilled twice in large copper pot stills; batch process; grain whisky in continuous patent (Coffey) stills
- Cognac.com: The Charentaise method — double distillation in copper stills (brouillis about 30–32 % vol., bonne chauffe about 70 % vol.)
- Cahier des charges de l'IG «Fine Faugères» ou «eau-de-vie de Faugères» (arrêté du 30.12.2014, BO Agri 22.01.2015): two 'chauffes' — wine to brouillis, then 'repasse'; copper alembics; heads and tails separated; max. 70 % vol.
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)