Why You Should Use a Vodka Rectifying Column

There are a ton of vodkas on the market, all different flavors, and all distilled at various times. But how exactly are those vodkas made to have such a precise and clean flavor? Well, many are made by using a vodka rectifying column to get a cleaner product.

Rectification is the process of removing harsh components through the rise of vapor and the fall of the condensate, which is why a rectification column is often synonymous with a distillation column. A basic rectifying column is a column used in distillation to more precisely scrub ethanol molecules, it cleans the vapor through multiple plate distillation; when you think of a vodka rectifying column, think of a column with at least 10 plates but often many more.

Having more plates would give more opportunities for the distillate to be scrubbed of the harsh and unwanted components that would give vodka an unintended flavor profile. We have some customers who have as many as 30 plates in their system to make vodka.

In the process of creating a good vodka, a rectification column would be the step after stripping. Running your vodka through a stripping run would help create a more well-behaved run through your rectification column. In the long run, doing the stripping run before the rectification run will save time and money. 

So why is the term rectifying column used, well the word rectify implies that is cleaner. The basic vodka rectifying column is nothing more than a forced reflux column, the main difference is that there are usually more plates, at least 10 plates, therefore giving a cleaner spirit.

Don’t let the terminology scare you, a rectifying column is just a taller forced reflux plated column. If you still have questions, give StillDragon a call and we can answer any other questions you may have.