Wild Mistakes in Distilling: When Spirits Go Wrong

A hazardous start

In the 18th and 19th centuries, large grain distilleries were ticking time bombs. Vapors from high-proof spirits met open flames and primitive boilers. Grain dust hung in the air like kindling. In 1780, a London distillery fire spread through the streets as thousands of gallons of alcohol poured from bursting vats and ignited. Fires like this were common across Europe and America. Workers often faced scalding steam, falling mash tuns, or collapsing warehouses filled with barrels of raw spirit. Every drop of progress came with the chance of disaster.

The silent killers

Not every death came with a blaze. Carbon dioxide released during fermentation pooled in cellars and vats. Workers entering to clean them sometimes never came out. One tragic account describes five men who suffocated one after another trying to rescue each other from a fermenting vat. Alcohol vapors also built up invisibly until a spark turned the air itself into fuel. Even lightning strikes, floods, and collapsing walls added to the long list of distilling dangers. For centuries, experience was written in fire and loss.

From alchemy to industry

The roots of distilling go back to ancient alchemists searching for medicine, perfume and the mythical “water of life.” Early experiments with alembics evolved slowly into controlled distillation. By the 13th century, European scholars described processes that could separate and strengthen alcohol. Over time, artisans moved from small copper pots to tall continuous stills, refining both flavor and yield. Yet every technical advance came with new hazards. Larger stills meant higher pressure and more heat. Bigger warehouses meant more combustible liquid and greater structural stress. Each improvement demanded new safety lessons.