Bourbon is a uniquely American product, but it shares whiskey-making techniques with similar liquors. This includes double distillation, and for good reason.

Still wearing hot mitts, lift the bowl off the small ceramic plate or coffee cup and set it down on a heat-resistant surface. Remove the small plate or coffee cup.

The patent still-the multistage, multitrayed distillation tower we still use today-originated in 18th-century Scotland. It had a reboiler, condenser, six bubble-cap trays, and a feed preheater.