The American Distiller,

£9,500 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

Dedicated to Thomas Jefferson as “’the munificent patron of the sciences,’ and containing directions for making apple-brandy, mint, citron, orange, cinnamon, clove, etc. waters” (Bitting), this is the first American book on distilling and is complete with both folding plates . At the rear of the book are three recipes for “usquebaugh”, “the famous Irish usquebaugh” and “green usquebaugh”, this being the Irish word for whisky. Krafft (born c.1775) lived a little over twenty miles north of Philadelphia in Bristol, Pa. In October 1801 he received a patent for an improvement in the construction of stills, successfully leasing the invention to 217 stills throughout the country. On 24 April, 1804, Krafft wrote to Jefferson asking his permission to dedicate this work to him. In the letter he wrote: “ For three Years last past I have been diligently employed in experimenting (under weighty expence) principally on Subjects immediately interresting to my Country such as that of our Domestic Distilleries c. facts proved, and final results from which I have the strongest Conviction must ultimately tend to facilitate the rising Interests of Community . These together with the general system of Domestic Distillery I have arranged in the form of an 8o. volume of about 400 pages entitled The American Distiller , of the first part of which the enclosed are proof sheets (as a sample) and although it Cannot boast of elegance of Language, Yet I trust it will be found Replete with Usefull matter.

• Year: 1804

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