Catalogue reference: C 210/31

Specification for ´Worm´ used for distillation No. 1617, Stephen Maxwell, 1 August 1787

In distilling, the distinctive worm, or snaking tube suspended in cold water, is a constant feature from the earliest engravings; the term appears as early as 1641.  It was the key instrument for condensing alcohol as it came off as vapour from the boiling fermented liquor (malted barley and water).