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Glite Dictionary
Coffey still

Coffey still

9.6
A machine that runs without stopping to separate alcohol from fermented grain or fruit to make spirits like whisky
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : alambique Coffey
  • The Coffey still didn't come along until the 1830s; gin displaced beer in the middle 1700s, and it was made the old-fashioned way, in the pot still.

Examples

  • The distillery uses a Coffey still to produce high-quality whiskey from fermented grain.

  • Innovators in the 19th century developed the Coffey still to improve the efficiency of distilling vodka.

  • Craft brewers often prefer the Coffey still for its ability to create pure spirits with a smooth finish.

Synonyms

still
vsCoffey still
  • Specialized
2 8.6

A device for making alcohol by heating and cooling liquid

is a continuous industrial apparatus for fractional ethanol distillation in spirits production

Surface Forms

Coffey still singular
Coffey stills plural

Morphology

Coffey + still

Knowing 'still' (a distillation apparatus) lets a B1 learner infer that 'Coffey still' refers to a type or model of still, but the proper name 'Coffey' does not transparently convey the specific technical features (continuous column, fractional distillation) without prior exposure. Because the headword is an eponym and the precise industrial meaning is specialized, the expression is partially but not fully predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Coffey still is named after Aeneas Coffey, an Irish inventor who built a new kind of still in the 1800s. His design let alcohol be made in a system that 'runs all the time', so today Coffey still means a tall, continuous still used in large distilleries.