Pot, Column, and the Hybrid Way We Do It
If you’ve ever toured a distillery, you’ve probably seen big shiny stills and heard folks toss around words like “pot still” and “column still.” Most folks nod and smile, but truth be told, a lot of people don’t really know the difference.
Let me break it down plain: at Coal Pick, we run a hybrid still. And there’s a good reason for it.
Pot Stills – Old School Tradition
The pot still is the granddaddy of ‘em all. Big copper kettle, fire it up, distill your mash, then clean it out and do it again. It’s slow, it’s hands-on, but it makes a spirit with a lot of character. Think small Scottish distilleries, or craft guys who want every batch to taste just a little different.
Column Stills – Built for Volume
Column stills, on the other hand, are workhorses. They stand tall like a silo and can run near non-stop. The big distilleries love ‘em because they can crank out thousands of gallons without missing a beat. Clean spirit, efficient, but sometimes a little too clean — like it’s lost a bit of soul in the process.
The Hybrid Approach – Best of Both Worlds
That’s where our system comes in. Coal Pick runs a hybrid still — part pot, part column. It gives us control. We can capture the flavor and depth you expect from a pot run, while still getting the consistency and efficiency of a column.
It ain’t the fastest way and it sure ain’t the cheapest, but it gives us bourbon with character you can count on. Every barrel carries a little personality without losing balance.
Why That Matters to You
- For the drinker: it means a pour that’s got flavor and backbone without being all over the map.
- For the investor: it means barrels that hold up batch after batch, bottle after bottle. Consistency is value.
Bottom Line
There ain’t one right way to make bourbon. But here at Coal Pick, we’ve carved our own lane. Pot stills bring tradition, columns bring scale — our hybrid brings both together in a way that makes sense for who we are.
It’s the kind of setup that keeps our bourbon honest, and that’s the way we like it.