Traditional copper pot still / Tradicionalni bakreni kotao
U ovom postu razgovaramo o kotlu- naš majstor destiler objasnit će zašto je odabrao klasični bakreni rakijski kotao za proizvodnju finih destilata, tko i gdje ga je napravio, kakve je prilagodbe zahtijevao od majstora kovača i kako je raditi s ovakvim tipom kotla.
Let’s talk about our tool of the trade: our master distiller will explain why did he choose the classic copper pot still for the production of fine spirits, where was it made, what special requests did he have at the coppersmith’s workshop, and what it’s like to work with it.
Zašto si odabrao klasični bakreni rakijski kotao za izradu gina i finih destilata?
Mi smo se odredili kao kraft proizvodnja u svim aspektima rada- od poznavanja svih sastojaka koje koristimo, naših dobavljača i proizvođača, do branja, eksperimentiranja s okusima, tako da smo i pri izboru kotla htjeli alat koji zahtijeva poznavanje tradicionalnih metoda destiliranja. Ne bježimo od svoje hrvatske tradicije i ja sam baš želio naučiti raditi s tradicionalnim tipom kotla koji se koristi već stoljećima. Inače sam inženjer elektrotehnike, a u ovom sam poslu za promjenu htio potpuno analogan alat, bez ikakve elektronike. U Hrvatskoj se bakreni kotlovi tradicionalno koriste za pečenje rakije, dok se u Škotskoj takav tip kotla koristi za izradu viskija od slada- što ukazuje na njegovu svestranost.
Can you tell us why did you choose the traditional copper pot still for gin and fine spirits production?
We are craft-oriented in all aspects of our production- from getting to know all of our ingredients, our producers, foraging, experimenting, and when it came to the still, we wanted it to require knowledge of traditional methods of distilling. We are also not hiding away from the Croatian tradition, and I wanted to learn how to work with a basic, traditional type of pot still that has been used for centuries. I am an electronics engineer, and I wanted a tool that was completely analog. In Croatia, copper pot stills are traditionally used to make rakija (fruit brandy typical of the entire Balkan region), while the same type of still is used in malt whiskies production in Scotland- which shows the versatility of this type of still.
Tko i gdje je izradio kotao?
Trudimo se podržati lokalnu proizvodnju kad god je to moguće. U obitelji Prosoli iz Ruda kraj Samobora zanat se prenosio s oca na sina. Rude su nekada bile rudarsko mjesto, a odatle im dolazi i ime. Od 15. do 19. stoljeća, u Rudama su se vadili bakar i željezo, a rudnik Svete Barbare jedan je od najstarijih u Europi. U njemu se, prema službenoj web stranici rudnika, u 16. stoljeću proizvodilo dvostruko više bakra nego u cijeloj tadašnjoj Britaniji. Iako su rudnici zatvoreni 1850., nekadašnje rudarske obitelji postale su kovačke. Tomislav Prosoli, majstor koji je izradio naš kotao, potomak je jedne od rudarskih obitelji koja je iz tadašnje Saske došla u Rude već u 16. stoljeću.
Kod korištenja proizvoda lokalnih proizvođača praktično je i lijepo što su ti njihovo znanje i podrška uvijek pri ruci. Ako bilo što na kotlu treba popraviti, prenamijeniti, poboljšati, Tomislav je tu. Pomagao je savjetima pri izradi, uvijek mu se mogu javiti s pitanjima i zajedno učimo.
Who made the still and where?
When possible, we want to support local craftsmen. For the Prosoli family in the village Rude near Samobor, the knowledge of making copper pot stills has been passed from father to son. Rude was once a mining village, and that is where its name comes from- “rude” meaning ore in Croatian. From the 15th to 19th century, copper and iron were exploited, and the Saint Barbara mine in Rude was one of the oldest copper mines in Europe. According to its official website, copper production in Rude in the 16th century was twice as big as the entire British production of the time! Even though the mines were closed in 1850, the families that were once miners turned into blacksmiths. Tomislav Prosoli, a master blacksmith that made our pot still, is a descendant of one of the mining families that came from Saxony already in the 16th century.
The nice thing about local production is the knowledge and support that are always at hand. If anything needs to be mended or tweaked on our still, Tomislav is here. He was here with advice during the production, and we learn together still.
Možeš li nam opisati o kakvom se kotlu radi? Je li to u potpunosti tradicionalni rakijski kotao?
Naručili smo tradicionalni bakreni kotao, koji iako izgleda kao običan rakijski kotao ipak ima neke preinake koje je Tomislav izradio prema mojim idejama, a koje su ga učinile pogodnijim za modernu izradu gina i finih destilata. Hladnjak koji se tradicionalno kuje od bakra je po mojoj želji izradio od inoxa, jer bakreni hladnjak može oksidirati i tako promijeniti okus destilata koji izlazi iz kotla. Razlog zašto su se kotlovi tradicionalno izrađivali od bakra je taj što se radi o materijalu koji je podatan za obradu i svaki kovač iz prošlosti mogao je s njime lako raditi. Bakrena glava našeg kotla veća je nego što je to uobičajeno u našim krajevima- to je dio u kojem se skupljaju alkoholne pare, a njegovim povećavanjem minimalno smo povećali refluks i tako dobili čišći destilat, a da nismo izgubili arome i okuse, što je važno u proizvodnji gina. Naručili smo i duplo dno ispunjeno uljem, kako bismo spriječili zagorijevanje smjese u kotlu. Jednom kada kotao zagori, vrlo je teško riješiti se tog mirisa, koji se onda prenosi i na destilat- a to smo svakako željeli izbjeći. Malo okno ugrađeno je kako bismo mogli vizualno provjeravati smjesu koja se kuha u kotlu. Za proizvodnju gina koristimo jednostavne parovodne cijevi jer želimo zadržati što je moguće više okusa i aroma, ali za proizvodnju voćnih rakija, koristimo refrakcijski stup (naručen od jednog australskog proizvođača) koji radi dvostruku destilaciju čime okus postaje profinjeniji. Osim toga, ovo je potpuno analogan kotao, bez elektronike- što je dobro, jer jednom kada naučiš raditi na njemu, on je vrlo pouzdan alat.
Can you explain your still a bit? Is it a completely traditional pot still?
We ordered a traditional copper pot still, and even though it looks like a classic still for making rakija, there were some tweaks that Tomislav made by our request, that made our still apt for modern gin and fine spirits production. He made the cooler out of stainless steel because the traditional copper cooler can oxidize and thus change the taste of the spirit that comes out of the still. The reason the stills were traditionally made out of copper is that it is easier to work with than the stainless steel, and every village blacksmith from the past could work with copper. The copper head on our still is bigger than usual in these parts- this is the part where evaporating alcohol gathers, and by increasing it we minimally increased the reflux, and got cleaner distillate without losing flavor and aromas, which is important in gin production. We also ordered the double bottom filled with oil that keeps the mash from burning. Once burned, the smell sticks to the still and can change the taste of the distillate, and we definitely wanted to avoid that. A small round-looking glass was installed so we can keep an eye on the liquid that is cooking inside. For the gin, we use a simple column and a lyne arm, as we want to keep as much flavor as possible, but in the production of fruit brandies, we use the fractionating column (ordered from an Australian producer), where double distillation is done, and the taste that comes out is more refined. Otherwise, it is a complete analog still, without the electronics- which is good as once you get to know its characteristics, it is a very reliable still.
