E 20
CHINESE DISTILLERY PRACTICE.
NOTE.
This appendix has been prepared to give some idea of the methods in use now and in the past in local Chinese Spirit Distilleries. There has been a tendency in the last year or so to introduce modern type stills and methods. In the near future there is no doubt that, owing to higher rates of duty and inefficient or wasteful methods of working, the small type of native still will cease to exist. During the last year it has been found that spirit similar to that distilled in the old type still can be distilled from modern stills with a very small margin of loss and that the spirit itself is quite palatable to the Chinese taste.
1.-Materials used for Fermentation.
Chinese Spirit distilled locally was originally distilled from fermented Rice. In recent years however, owing to the increase in the price of Rice a cheap substitute was found in Molasses which is a bye-product of the Cane Sugar Industry.
Rice. In the small country distilleries of the New Territory red rice is still used, but most of the larger establishments use imported broken white rice or a blend of broken white and red rice.
Molasses. Both liquid and hard varieties are extensively used. They are imported from Java and to a small extent only from Formosa. Molasses produced locally in the Taikoo Sugar Refinery is in strong demand when available on account of the fact that Java Molasses has in recent years arrived in a contaminated condition (it is often packed in imperfectly cleaned oil drums) and the quality, from the point of view of spirit output, is much inferior to the Molasses imported a few years ago.
2. Yeast. Two distinct types of "Yeast" are used. Both types depend upon the well-known "Amylo" process of fermentation. The "Yeast" contains a mould and a ferment and its use avoids the use of Malt for the conversion of Starch to Sugar. The processes of saccharification and fermentation go on side by side and the use of an expensive "Malting" process is avoided.
The two types of yeast in use are (a) Ball and (b) Cake.
(a) Ball Yeast. This occurs in small white balls about the size of a golf ball. The mould and yeast are mixed with China clay and made into the small easily crushed balls. This yeast will completely ferment rice in from five to ten days-the output of spirit per unit of rice is poor and the spirit itself is often rather acid. It has been found that this acidity is due to the fact that acetic fermentation develops to a small extent during