Iron City Distilling Unveils Three Chamber Still

Iron City Distilling Three Chamber Still

Iron City Distilling will publicly unveil its new Three Chamber Still on Nov. 22 – the first such still to be operational in Pennsylvania in more than 65 years. The ticketed event is set for 6 p.m. that day.

In fact, according to the distillery, it is one of only three to be in operation in the entire world.

“It’s all part of our tireless efforts to bring back the long-lost style of Monongahela Rye Whiskey and help Pennsylvania reestablish itself as one of the world’s premier whiskey regions,” the distillery said in a social media post.

The still was built by Vendome Copper Brassworks in Louisville, Kentucky, and one of only two in the United States. A three-chamber still, according to the distillery’s website, is similar to having three stills in one, stacked on top of each other.

“Others believe it is a lost interim technology occurring somewhere between pot stills and continuous columns,” Iron City said. “Whatever it is, all we know is that these are the stills that helped make Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey in [Pennsylvania] and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this integral part of our state’s distilling history back to life.”

FredMinnick.com correspondent Tyler Christophel visited the distillery recently for a media unveiling and said Peter Katz, President of Iron City Distilling, emphasized how much the history of Pennsylvania Rye means to the distillery.

The goal with the Three Chamber Still, Christophel reports, is to be able to produce whiskey as close to pre-prohibition style as they can, going so far as procuring 40 gallon barrels for aging. In addition, Iron City is working with local farms to grow several hundred acres of the Rosen Rye varietal and had Laura Fields, a rye advocate and founder of the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation, on hand to discuss grains in more detail.

Christophel said those in attendance tasted rye directly off of the pot still and then off of the Three Chamber to compare the difference. He reports a definite mouthfeel difference with the oiliness of the three-chamber distillate being noticeable.