Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Irresistible Fragrance

Once Wei Renshi had solved the issue of airtightness, he immediately took the blueprint to the craftsmen to commission its creation.

Because Wei Renshi paid generously, the craftsmen set aside all other tasks. In just four days, they completed the item according to his design.

Wei Renshi transported the apparatus to Elder Sun’s distillery, intending to use Sun’s ingredients for a trial run.

As the saying goes, fragrance in spirits comes from fermentation, and the aroma is brought out by distillation. Over the past few days, Elder Sun had already finished fermenting the distillers’ grains.

Wei Renshi didn’t rush to steam the grains right away. Instead, he tested the apparatus with some water first to observe the distillation effect.

The results were excellent; the arrangement of the distiller, condenser, and the metal pipes was quite reasonable.

The principle behind distilling spirits is not complex: you take the fermented brewing materials and, through one or more rounds of distillation, extract a liquid with higher alcohol content.

Since the temperature needed to vaporize alcohol is lower than that needed to turn water into steam, by heating and keeping the temperature at the point where alcohol vaporizes, the alcohol in the brewing materials turns into vapor first. The alcohol vapor rises ahead of the water vapor, enters the pipes for condensation, and after cooling, liquefies again and flows into the condenser.

If you wish to obtain spirits with even higher alcohol concentration, you can collect the distillate and reheat it in the condenser as a new distillation chamber, condensing it through another pipe into yet another condenser. By repeating this process, you can eventually achieve spirits with very high alcohol content.

Unfortunately, there was no thermometer available, so it wasn’t possible to intuitively control the heating temperature at the precise point where alcohol vaporizes.

A dedicated person was needed to manage the firewood, adjusting the heat so that the temperature remained roughly around the alcohol vaporization threshold. If it rose too high, reaching water’s boiling point, the resulting spirit would contain more water, making it bland and lacking in aroma.

He spread the fermented distillers’ grains in the distiller, started a fire in the stove below, and as the temperature gradually increased, the grains began to emit steam, rising slowly.

“This fire must be watched carefully—not too strong, not too weak. Too strong, and you get water; too weak, and you can’t distill anything,” Wei Renshi instructed Sun Youqing’s younger brother, the second son of Elder Sun.

The second son nodded. “Don’t worry, young master.”

“Young master, forgive an old man for speaking his mind. I’ve been brewing spirits since I was young, spent a lifetime at it. I’ve seen vegetables steamed, and I’ve seen steamed buns, but never have I seen distillers’ grains steamed like this! Young master, you’re using the grains I’ve fermented with my best skills, yet you’re not using the spirit itself—only the grains! I dare say, I’ve put more care into this fermentation than usual, and now, with this steaming, it all goes to waste!” Elder Sun watched, heart aching, as Wei Renshi placed the grains into the distiller, muttering softly.

Wei Renshi turned and smiled, not arguing, simply saying, “Elder Sun, you’ll see soon enough.”

After some time, Wei Renshi judged that the first head of spirit should be coming out. He instructed Sun Youqing to bring a jar and placed it under the pipe extending from the condenser. Carefully, he pulled out the stopper at the end of the pipe. Instantly, a small stream of clear liquid began to flow slowly from the slender pipe into the jar.

In that moment, a rich aroma of spirits filled the entire workshop.

Elder Sun was dumbfounded. Sun Youqing and his brother inhaled deeply, as if they wished to draw all the fragrant air into their stomachs.

The three stared intently at the small stream trickling from the pipe’s mouth, their eyes shining like wolves who had found a fat sheep after two weeks of hunger.

Wei Renshi chuckled to himself. This initial head of spirit, though aromatic, was not fit to drink.

It was necessary to wait until the alcohol vapors had cooled further in the condenser; only then would the true spirit flow out.

The distillation continued. Wei Renshi swapped jars to collect the real distillate. Once he had half a jar, he stopped up the pipe again.

“Youqing, bring some bowls!” Wei Renshi called, clutching the jar.

Sun Youqing’s eyes lit up—he realized they were about to taste the spirit! Excited, he shouted, “Right away!” Turning, he dashed out and soon returned with a stack of white porcelain bowls, setting them out before Wei Renshi.

Wei Renshi opened the jar and poured a bowl for each, taking the first taste himself.

Ah, it was strong—exactly the flavor he sought!

Setting his bowl down, Wei Renshi smilingly placed one in front of Elder Sun.

“This… is this water?!” Elder Sun stared at the clear liquid in the porcelain bowl, confused. “No, that can’t be—it smells so strongly of spirits! But how could spirit be so clear?”

“Elder Sun, give it a try.” Wei Renshi lifted the bowl and handed it to him.

Elder Sun trembled as he took the bowl, gazing at the transparent liquid.

Beside him, Sun Youqing and his brother eyed Elder Sun hungrily, full of anticipation and hope, wishing they could be the first to taste it.

Elder Sun lowered his head, sniffed lightly, then took a deep breath. Immediately, a flush appeared on his cheeks.

“Amazing, truly amazing! More fragrant than anything I’ve ever encountered!” Elder Sun exhaled slowly, marveling, then brought the bowl to his lips and took a hearty gulp.

In an instant, Elder Sun’s face turned bright red, his eyes widened, and he put the bowl down, breathing heavily to steady himself. “This is indeed spirit! … Strong! So strong! The flavor is full—so full!”

Wei Renshi laughed in satisfaction, nodding. He signaled to Sun Youqing and his brother, who had grown impatient nearby. With his gesture, they each grabbed a bowl and downed it in one gulp.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Both were caught off guard by the strength, coughing repeatedly.

“Young master, this spirit… it’s good! So good! What a spirit!” Sun Youqing, lacking words, could only cough and praise, “So strong! Stronger than any Three-Lei Wine I’ve ever drunk! Looks like water, but drinking it is like swallowing fire—the heat burns through your organs! Young master, you’re a miracle worker!”

Wei Renshi smiled, then turned to Elder Sun. “Elder Sun, you’ve brewed spirits your whole life. Tell me, setting aside blending this spirit for other nuanced flavors, just this bowl—if it were sold on the market, could it fetch a good price?”

“It could! It could!” Elder Sun nodded emphatically, raising a thumb. “Young master’s skill is unmatched—my admiration knows no bounds! I daresay, even in Luoyang or Chang’an, no other spirit could surpass it!”

Wei Renshi laughed, looking at him. “Elder Sun, I said recently that I was lacking a skilled master brewer to manage the distillery. That offer still stands.”

Elder Sun was stunned, then nodded vigorously. “Thank you, young master, for your trust! Thank you so much! I will give my utmost effort!”

“If you have time these days, Elder Sun, return to Changgu and take a look. I intend to build a grand distillery,” Wei Renshi said, gazing at the bowls of spirit, smiling.