The process of distilling ethanol was indeed straightforward, especially with the ready-made apparatus. The principle was so simple that even a beginner could operate it. Pour the wine into the distillation flask, filling it to between one-third and two-thirds full. Add a few boiling chips to prevent bumping, then start heating. Next came watching as the receiving flask gradually accumulated ethanol of higher purity than the original liquid, repeating the distillation two to three times to obtain ethanol with a concentration of about sixty to eighty percent.
The only issue at hand was that Lin Yi only had this one set of distillation apparatus with limited capacity. Mass-producing alcohol with it was out of the question. Fortunately, Huang Xining had mentioned that such devices were being made in batches, but without modern industrial equipment and relying entirely on artisans' manual work, it would take some time.
Gu Fang quietly watched the clear liquid slowly accumulating in the receiving flask and asked with some curiosity, "This... is alcohol?"
"Not yet entirely, it's just wine with a higher ethanol concentration than before," Lin Yi replied. Perhaps inspired by Huang Xining's moneymaking scheme earlier, her eyes suddenly brightened as she turned to Gu Fang, her tone filled with eager excitement: "But after this one distillation, the wine's aroma will be richer, and it will be stronger on the palate, though not enough to easily kill someone. Husband, what do you think about turning this wine into another business? I think those nobles who love a good drink and pursue novelty and rarity will definitely like it."
Gu Fang's eyes showed curiosity: "Xiaoyi means that after one distillation, the wine's aroma will be even stronger?"
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